Oxford's oldest student newspaper

Independent since 1920

Robinson swaps prosecco for porridge

Ex-leader and founder of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson was this week forced to withdraw from speaking at the Union, after being recalled to prison. 

In a Twitter announcement on Saturday, Robinson said that he had been recalled to custody, allegedly after responding to a threaton social media. The Union later confirmed that he would not be appearing this week, although added that the recall was for a fixed period of 28 days, meaning that they still hope to host Robinson later this term.

The Union’s invite has been criticised, with a protest planned for the event this week, while an open letter from Unite Against Fascism (UAF) has attracted more than 150 signatories.

Ian McKendrick, a spokesperson for Oxford UAF, explained, “We will continue to campaign against the Oxford Union extending an invitation to Robinson, and remain prepared to protest in the eventuality that this or any other invitation to a fascist goes ahead.”

He added, “Such an invitation can only give credibility to Robinson’s racism and boost the confidence of racists and fascists in Oxford to be more open, posing a threat to local communities.”

Among those backing the call to withdraw the invitation were councillors from several political parties.

Sam Hollick, Green Party Councillor for Holywell, agreed, saying, “We cannot accept Robinson and the EDL as mainstream. Any suggested benefit of drawing out his offensive beliefs in a debate is far out-weighed by the badge of legitimacy that Robinson would claim from speaking at such a widely known institution like the Oxford Union. The event should be cancelled as a demonstration of our rejection of racist hate.”

Students were among those planning to protest against the event. Rowan Davis, a member of the Oxford Activist Network, told Cherwell, “I was saddened to see that the Union has again failed to maintain a safe space for open debate with its inclusion of Tommy Robinson, an act which I and many others utterly deplore.”

However, in a statement, Union President Mayank Banerjee declared, “The Union stands by the invitation to Mr Robinson and we would like to reiterate that an invitation from the Union is not an endorsement of any particular agenda. The Union believes in the principle of freedom of speech and we would encourage all members who disagree with Mr Robinson to question him on his views at the event later in the term.”

Robinson’s recall into custody follows his sentencing in January for 18 months in prison for mortgage fraud. He was released in June. A spokesperson for Robinson claimed, “Tommy has been recalled to prison following him responding to a threatening tweet to himself and also implying the person would rape his Mother [sic].”

Robinson tweeted that he believed the recall was an attempt to stop him “exposing the facts” at the Union. A press release further alleged that Robinson was being “silenced by the authorities”. 

The Ministry of Justice said, “We do not comment on individuals. Offenders on Home Detention Curfew must comply with the conditions of their curfew or release licence. If they fail to do so, they can be immediately recalled to custody.”

Check out our other content

Most Popular Articles