LONDON: British far-right activist Tommy Robinson pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of harassing two journalists, as dozens of supporters gathered outside the London court just days after he was freed from jail.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, 42, pleaded not guilty at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court to two counts of harassment causing fear of violence.
He was given the option of a hearing at a lower court, but instead opted for a jury trial at a criminal court.
The firebrand anti-Islam campaigner is accused of harassing two Daily Mail journalists, Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber, via his popular X account in August 2024.
The prosecutor acknowledged however that the harassment did not contain “direct threats of violence”.
Robinson, who was wearing a cream jacket and jeans, was released on bail and is due to appear at Southwark Crown Court in London on July 3.
He has become a champion for far-right and anti-immigrant factions despite several run-ins with the law.
On May 27 he was released after spending seven months in prison for breaching a court order barring him from repeating false allegations he had made about a Syrian refugee.
On leaving jail, he thanked technology billionaire Elon Musk for his X platform and slammed the UK government in a social media video.
After the hearing Thursday he was met with dozens of supporters chanting his name and cheering at the central London court.
Many wore Donald Trump-inspired MEGA -- Make England Great Again -- hats, carried English flags and wore “Free Tommy Robinson” T-shirts.
The former football hooligan, who founded the far-right English Defence League in 2009, has repeatedly been convicted for public order and contempt offences.
He has also been blamed for helping fuel the country’s worst riots in years in 2024, which he denies.
