What we know about Tommy Robinson's whereabouts after he flees UK
A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Tommy Robinson after he left the UK following a "flagrant" contempt of court, the High Court has heard.
The far-right activist, 41, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was due to appear at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday for a hearing but failed to attend.
The case came when the solicitor general launched legal action against Robinson in June over an alleged breach of a court order after he lost a libel battle in 2021.
Thousands of his supporters attended a march in central London on Saturday, a day before Robinson was arrested after being stopped at a port in Kent.
What we know
Robinson was due to appear before the High Court on Monday after being accused of continuing to talk online about a libel case he lost in 2021.
The court heard that Robinson has left the country after committing "flagrant" contempt of court relating to a film played at a protest in central London.
Watch: Crowds gather for Tommy Robinson protest and counter-march
He is accused of an alleged breach of a court order after losing the libel case three years ago.
Adam Payter, representing the solicitor general, said on Monday it is believed Robinson left the UK hours after being released on unconditional bail following his reported arrest over the weekend.
Payter said Robinson was arrested following Saturday's “large demonstration” in central London, which featured the showing of a film that was “central to this application” and showed a “flagrant” and “admitted” breach of the court order.
He said that following the demonstration, Robinson was stopped in Folkestone, Kent, during a port stop and search and arrested by Kent Police under the Terrorism Act 2000.
“We understand he failed to co-operate with a port stop and search," said Payter. "The implication is he was attempting to leave the country and therefore was not intending to attend this hearing this morning.”
He added that Robinson was reminded of Monday’s hearing before being released on unconditional bail at 10pm on Sunday, but that it is now believed he “left the UK last night and there was nothing to prevent him from doing so”.
Kent Police said a 41-year-old man was detained by officers on Sunday under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and was released on bail while inquiries continued.
Under schedule seven of the Terrorism Act, police are allowed to stop anyone passing through a UK port “to determine whether they may be involved or concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”.
Dozens of Robinson's supporters protested outside Downing Street on Sunday evening following news of his arrest.
The High Court heard that Robinson “is not within the jurisdiction of the UK”, and Payter claimed Robinson had returned to the country “with the purpose of publishing the film” before leaving again “to put himself beyond the reach of this court’s jurisdiction”.
Mr Justice Johnson issued a warrant for Robinson’s arrest after he did not attend the hearing, but ordered that it not be carried out “until early October” to allow Robinson time to indicate that he would attend the next hearing voluntarily or to apply to “set aside” the warrant.
Why was Robinson sued?
In 2021, Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi successfully sued Robinson after the then-schoolboy was assaulted at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in October 2018.
After a clip of the incident went viral, Robinson made false claims about Mr Hijazi, leading to the libel case.
Robinson was ordered to pay Mr Hijazi £100,000 in damages and his legal costs, while an injunction was also issued preventing Robinson from repeating the allegations he made against the then-teenager.
Campaign group Hope Not Hate claimed Robinson ignored the injunction and repeated the allegations, providing a “dossier of evidence” to the Attorney General’s Office, with the Solicitor General then taking legal action.
During Saturday's protests, dozens of protesters crowded around and loudly chanted “Tommy Robinson” at a young woman who said his film of a Syrian schoolboy was libellous.
The woman appeared to be filming on a phone as she made the comments and was escorted away by police.
As she walked away, the crowd turned and pointed at her, repeatedly shouting “oh Tommy Robinson”, with one apparently teenage boy shouting “f*** Palestine”.
What we don't know
Robinson's whereabouts are unclear, with the High Court only being told that he has left the UK.
It has also not been confirmed how he fled the country, with The Guardian reporting he used a Eurostar train and the BBC saying he took the Eurotunnel.
According to previous reports, Robinson has an Irish passport and has spent time living in Spain. Yahoo News UK has contacted Mr Payter for comment.
Kent Police said there were no further updates as regards its arrest of a 41-year-old man on Sunday.
Since Robinson failed to appear at court, his X (formerly Twitter) account has had a number of messages on it from someone claiming to be an admin saying Robinson doesn't have a phone.
Mr Justice Johnson said the hearing on Monday could proceed in Robinson's absence and a further hearing is expected in October.
It is not known if Robinson will be extradited. Human rights lawyer and extradition specialist Karen Todner told Yahoo News UK that Robinson could be extradited from Spain.
"The process of the application from the UK government could take place quite quickly," she said.
"But if he objects, it could take anything up to a year to extradite him back to the UK."
