Far-right Tommy Robinson backs STC in Yemen in bizarre X post

UK far-right figure Tommy Robinson has raised eyebrows for weighing in on the latest crisis in Yemen, which has seen the secessionist Southern Transitional Council take broad control of the country’s south amid separatist concerns.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, took aim at Western governments for "not fighting terrorism" in the Middle East, and not supporting the STC in Yemen, which he claimed is combating such.

He said on X on Thursday: "I want you to look at one of the cases of peoples who want to liberate themselves from the terrorism of Al-Qaeda and the Houthis in Yemen. These people want independence and self-determination by establishing the state of the South in Yemen. WHY NOT!!"

Since the start of December, the STC seized a sizeable part of southern Yemen, capturing areas of the Hadhramaut, Al-Mahra, and Abyan governorates. At least 32 soldiers were killed in the Hadhramaut takeover earlier in the month, while the main cities of Seiyun and Marib were seized.

The STC separatists are backed by the United Arab Emirates and are aiming to revert Yemen into two separate states, as was the case until 1990.

The separatist group’s offensive in Yemen’s south has raised fears of strained relations between Gulf powerhouses UAE and Saudi Arabia, as the offensive could see Emirati and Saudi-backed soldiers fight each other.

The STC, established in 2017, has called for the secession of a proposed South Arabia state from the rest of the country, and has been since financed by the UAE.

In his post, Robinson continued to claim that the "radicals that the STC are combating" will "come to us," i.e. the West, if Western governments don’t cooperate with them.

The far-right figurehead continued to say that the STC are "defending their right to political independence from these radical regimes that control these countries," without elaborating further.

Amid the recent escalation of events in the Arab world’s poorest country, much of the international community has urged calm and preference for Yemen to remain as one.

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged all parties in Yemen, including external actors, that "unilateral actions will not clear a path to peace, but only deepen divisions, raise the risk of wider escalation and cause further fragmentation".

Robinson’s post raised eyebrows among social media users and international relations experts, who mocked him for parading as a Yemen expert without having any expertise, for spreading disinformation, and for parroting Emirati and Israeli talking points on the subject.

Robinson, who has multiple convictions and has spent significant time behind bars, regurgitated   similar points in another X post earlier this week, but has seldom made remarks about Yemen. Though he has "criticised" the Houthis in a post two years ago.

The far-right activist has a track record of Islamophobic and anti-immigrant behaviour and incitement, having founded the far-right English Defence League group.

More recently, the convicted felon has found favour within the Israeli government, particularly its far-right ministers. He also visited Israel in October, following an invitation by Diaspora Affairs minister Amichai Shikli. The visit sparked condemnation from UK Jewish groups, who slammed his criminal record and divisive rhetoric.