As has been widely reported, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, aka “Tommy Robinson”, has been sentenced to a 10-month prison sentence for using a friend’s passport to enter the USA illegally. Robinson, who heads the English Defence League, had travelled to New York with his deputy and cousin Kevin Carroll to take part in an anti-Islam conference organised by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, and their reaction to the news is typically bullish.
…Tommy Robinson, my colleague and board member of SION [Stop Islamization of Nations; see here – RB], is a political prisoner in the UK, imprisoned for standing up for freedom and equality of rights under the law. I stand with Robinson.
…Don’t think he is a political prisoner? Consider this: In December 2011 in the U.K., a gang of Muslim women who savagely beat a non-Muslim woman were let off scot-free because “they weren’t used to drinking because they’re Muslims.” Consider also that earlier in 2011, Muslims pelted EDL members with stones, touching off an altercation; a Muslim was fined £50, while Robinson’s fine was £315.
Back in October, Spencer and Geller expressed the view that Robinson’s legal troubles amounted to “sharia inspired victimisation”, and they had asked Americans to donate to Robinson’s “legal fund” via the EDL website. However, they didn’t mention that Robinson intended to plead guilty, although the defence spin transformed this obvious necessity into a virtue:
Stephen Lennon, 30, pleaded guilty to possession of a false identity document with improper intention, contrary to the Identity Documents Act 2010.
…Defence barrister Giles Cockings said his client had displayed a ‘certain amount of courage’ by pleading guilty.
It’s difficult to see what the selective rag-bag of public order offences cited by Spencer has to do with an act of fraud. British law is quite clear: if you use someone else’s passport to misrepresent who you are, you should expect to go to prison.
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