He is accused of adding fuel to the fire during the riots in the United Kingdom this summer. But to his fans, Tommy Robinson is a hero of free speech. Portrait of a sulphurous figure of the British extreme right, propelled into the spotlight by the networks…
This summer, as the United Kingdom erupted in an unprecedented wave of riots, one man fanned the embers from his vacation spot in Cyprus. Tommy Robinson, a controversial British far-right activist, is accused of adding fuel to the fire by calling for protests on social networks, where he has more than a million subscribers. Propelled into the spotlight, he has since become the new face of the ultra-right across the Channel.
The meteoric rise of an outsider
Until this summer, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, his real name, operated in relative confidentiality. This former hooligan with a long criminal record had certainly already hit the headlines by founding the English Defense League, a small anti-Islam group. But nothing compares to his current notoriety.
The turning point came on July 29. That day, three little girls were brutally murdered during a dance class in Southport. Robinson immediately calls for protests on social media. His fiery posts are seen millions of times and relayed until they are brandished in the processions of angry demonstrators.
An ultra-connected vigilante 2.0
Robinson's incendiary style hits home with a section of British youth looking for direction. On the web, he poses as the hero of the voiceless in the face of the establishment. Clever positioning when distrust of institutions has never been so strong.
Robinson understood the multiplier power of social networks. He rides on anger with a radical anti-system speech.analyzes an expert close to the case.
Omnipresent on web platforms, the ex-hooligan broadcasts his ultranationalist vision tinged with Islamophobia and rejection of migrants. It targets a young, male audience at odds with society, sensitive to its martial discourse.
The martyr of freedom of expression
But in the eyes of justice, the word goes too far. Robinson is accused of inciting hatred and thrown in prison. An imprisonment experienced as an injustice by his supporters, who see in him a modern martyr for freedom of expression.
The stay behind bars only increases his sulphurous aura tenfold. His supporters compare him to Nelson Mandela and parliamentarians publicly defend him, denouncing an obstruction of democratic debate.
It is a political trial which aims to silence an opponent. Citizens have the right to express themselves freely, whether we agree with their ideas or not.storms an elected official close to the hard right.
Towards a political career?
With this support, Robinson plans to use his notoriety to enter politics. His teams are working on the creation of a new party, capable of channeling the anger which exploded this summer.
The ex-marginal would see himself as a herald of an uninhibited populist right, on the model of Matteo Salvini in Italy. A scenario considered credible by some analysts.
Robinson is filling a void left gaping by the failure of traditional parties. He embodies an identity and authoritarian movement that is on the rise.estimates a political scientist specializing in the far right.
Although his ultra-violent past and his troubles with the law could handicap him, Tommy Robinson has a solid activist base and a certain media coverage. Above all, he demonstrated his ability to play on the populist side to impose his themes.
It remains to transform the test from the Web to the polls. But given his growing influence, the one who loudly proclaims that he wants to “take back control” of the country may not have finished making people talk about him.
A worrying epiphenomenon
However, Tommy Robinson crystallizes the concerns. His radical and divisive rhetoric could further fracture an already tense British society.
Many also denounce a trivialization of hatred and violence in public debate, which the activist would help to fuel. Some even accuse him of having blood on his hands, by inflaming already heated minds.
Faced with these criticisms, Robinson plays the martyr by cloaking himself in freedom of expression. A very convenient shield but which fools no one. Justice has already ruled by condemning his calls to hatred.
Robinson embodies the worst that social networks can convey: disinformation, conspiracy, calls for violence. This is a danger for democracy.an association leader is alarmed.
If Tommy Robinson's real impact on the riots remains to be measured, his case raises questions. How can we prevent social networks from becoming a sounding board for hatred? What place for freedom of expression in the face of calls for violence? Thorny questions, which divide as much as they alarm.
In the meantime, the ex-hooligan is happily surfing on this ambiguity to swell his ranks and bring his themes into public debate. At the risk of imploding the fragile balance of a British society already on the razor's edge.
The stay behind bars only increases his sulphurous aura tenfold. His supporters compare him to Nelson Mandela and parliamentarians publicly defend him, denouncing an obstruction of democratic debate.
It is a political trial which aims to silence an opponent. Citizens have the right to express themselves freely, whether we agree with their ideas or not.storms an elected official close to the hard right.
Towards a political career?
With this support, Robinson plans to use his notoriety to enter politics. His teams are working on the creation of a new party, capable of channeling the anger which exploded this summer.
The ex-marginal would see himself as a herald of an uninhibited populist right, on the model of Matteo Salvini in Italy. A scenario considered credible by some analysts.
Robinson is filling a void left gaping by the failure of traditional parties. He embodies an identity and authoritarian movement that is on the rise.estimates a political scientist specializing in the far right.
Although his ultra-violent past and his troubles with the law could handicap him, Tommy Robinson has a solid activist base and a certain media coverage. Above all, he demonstrated his ability to play on the populist side to impose his themes.
It remains to transform the test from the Web to the polls. But given his growing influence, the one who loudly proclaims that he wants to “take back control” of the country may not have finished making people talk about him.
A worrying epiphenomenon
However, Tommy Robinson crystallizes the concerns. His radical and divisive rhetoric could further fracture an already tense British society.
Many also denounce a trivialization of hatred and violence in public debate, which the activist would help to fuel. Some even accuse him of having blood on his hands, by inflaming already heated minds.
Faced with these criticisms, Robinson plays the martyr by cloaking himself in freedom of expression. A very convenient shield but which fools no one. The courts have already ruled by condemning his calls to hatred.
Robinson embodies the worst that social networks can convey: disinformation, conspiracy, calls for violence. This is a danger for democracy.an association leader is alarmed.
If Tommy Robinson's real impact on the riots remains to be measured, his case raises questions. How can we prevent social networks from becoming a sounding board for hatred? What place for freedom of expression in the face of calls for violence? Thorny questions, which divide as much as they alarm.
In the meantime, the ex-hooligan is happily surfing on this ambiguity to swell his ranks and bring his themes into public debate. At the risk of imploding the fragile balance of a British society already on the razor's edge.
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