Far-right thug Tommy Robinson has been charged after he appeared at a march against antisemitism in London on the weekend.
Robinson had previously shown his interest in joining the rally, but campaigners warned him he wasn’t welcome. He was pictured being led away by the police following his attendence and was charged with failing to comply with an order excluding him from the area of the demonstration on Sunday.
Met Police arrested him near the Royal Courts of Justice, from where the demonstration began. The English Defence League co-founder was spotted in the Soho Coffee Co cafe directly opposite the Royal Courts of Justice in the afternoon. Eye-witnesses said he was joined by around five to 10 associates.
The group was seen bickering with the police before being escorted down the Strand. At the time, Met Police said they arrested him because he refused to leave the area. Officers sprayed Robinson with synthetic pepper spray and handcuffed him as he was arrested at the event. He uploaded a video of himself with partially closed eyes to social media after the confrontation. Other footage of him arguing with police officers was also posted on his Twitter account, with Robinson claiming to be present as a journalist at the march. Following his release from custody, he claimed that bail conditions preventing him from entering London or taking part in protests were “a blatant abuse of my human rights”. A worker at the cafe said Robinson enjoyed a full English breakfast before his confrontation with the police. "They were here earlier, having breakfast," the staff member said. "There was a scuffle outside, but I don’t know what happened. I think someone was arrested."
Caroline Broadhurst, a Christian volunteer who had come to show her support for the Jewish community, described the chaotic scenes on the weekend. She said the encounter kicked off at around midday. "There were lots of police standing outside [the coffee shop] at around midday. They sort of went up The Strand towards Temple Underground station," she explained. "There was a bit of a ruckus, but it was not a major thing. It was just five or 10 of them... The police outnumbered them. They were just being foolish. I have to say, the police were great and very efficient. They were talking outside the coffee shop ... I don’t know what happened there, but someone did say it was Tommy Robinson. I don’t know what they were trying to do, but the police just corralled them." Met Police said on Monday: “A man has now been charged in connection with this incident. Stephen Lennon, of Bedfordshire, has been charged with failing to comply with a section 35 direction excluding a person from an area. He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on January 22.”
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