Who Is Tommy Robinson? 5 Things You Need to Know
Meet the far-right Islamophobe who Elon Musk is fighting to free from prison.
The world’s richest man is at it, again. No, not managing one of his multi-billion dollar companies or attempting to colonize Mars or even preparing for his new role as a top US government adviser. But instead, praising and amplifying a far-right thug.
Yes, Elon Musk’s latest infatuation is with Tommy Robinson, the UK’s most infamous – and, seemingly, most influential – Islamophobe. Musk rang in the new year not with well wishes to humanity or his own hopes for a peaceful future, but with bizarre and multiple calls to “free Tommy Robinson” from prison. (He even made one of them his pinned tweet!)
While many in Britain are aware of exactly who Tommy Robinson is, many in the United States and elsewhere are unfamiliar with his pronouncements and his past. Ridiculously, many of Musk’s followers now seem to believe Robinson is some sort of martyr for free speech: a political prisoner in a UK overrun with Muslim rape gangs! A prominent US Republican senator has even thrown his weight behind calls for Robinson’s release.
So, as the Tesla boss continues to cozy up to the far-right in the US, the UK, Germany, and beyond, here are five things you should know about his new pal Tommy Robinson, someone so extreme that even Musk’s former pal Nigel Farage won’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.
1. He Is a Violent Islamophobe
Despite claiming that he solely stands against Islamist extremism, much of Robinson’s rhetoric has centered around attacking all Muslims, not just the extremists.