Far-right UK activist 'Tommy Robinson' cleared of terror charge

UK activist Tommy Robinson, who organised a huge far-right march in London earlier this year, was on Tuesday cleared of refusing to divulge his telephone PIN to counter-terrorism police in 2024.

District Judge Sam Goozee found 42-year-old Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, not guilty of a charge brought under Britain's Terrorism Act.

Robinson was stopped in the southeastern port of Folkestone driving a silver Bentley that was not registered in his name, and found to have around £13,000 ($17,300) as well as some 1,700 euros in cash.

He told police he was driving to Benidorm in Spain via the Channel Tunnel, but refused to provide police with his pin number because his mobile contained videos which he said related to his journalism work.

Clearing Robinson, Judge Goozee said he was not satisfied that the police action was "in accordance with statutory purpose" of the law used.

"I cannot put out of my mind that it was actually what you stood for and your political beliefs that acted for the principle reason for this stop," he said at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London, adding: "I cannot convict you."

Robinson left the court to cheers from supporters in the public gallery.

Speaking outside court he again thanked US tech billionaire Elon Musk who he earlier said had picked up his legal bill.

'Corrupt, unlawful'

"The police discriminated against me based on my political beliefs. Thank you Elon Musk, if it was not for Elon Musk...

"Why did it took an American business man to fight for our justice?", he said.

He called the verdict a "slam down against the police" and the action against him "corrupt, unlawful".

Robinson has become a champion for anti-immigrant factions, and drew some 150,000 people onto the streets of London in September for one of the country's largest ever far-right protests, which was addressed by Musk.

The former football hooligan, who founded the far-right English Defence League in 2009, has repeatedly been convicted for public order and contempt offences.

Robinson was only released from jail in May after spending seven months in prison for breaching a court order. He has also been blamed for helping to fuel racially aggravated riots that rocked the country in 2024, which he denies.

He billed his "Unite the Kingdom" march as a "free speech festival".

(AFP)