Far-right activists and anti-immigration campaigners around the world have welcomed the release of Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defence League, who was freed after the court of appeal ordered that he should be retried on a contempt of court finding.

Robinson’s cause has inspired “alt-right” politicians in the US such as Steve Bannon as well as Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch populist Party for Freedom.

During his broadcasts about a live crown court trial in Canterbury, Robinson, 35, referred to the defendants as being “Muslim child rapists”.

In his live-streamed commentary on Facebook outside the Leeds trial, he identified the defendants and the charges against them despite an order from the judge that nothing should be reported until the end of subsequent trials.

Bannon, a highly-controversial figure of the American right, has hailed Robinson as “the backbone of this country”. A US diplomat was reported to have lobbied the British ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, over the imprisonment.

Robinson is alleged to have received up to £20,000 in Bitcoin contributions since he was jailed as online campaigns boosted support. His YouTube account encourages supporters to make donations in the cryptocurrency.



Followers of Robinson’s Facebook page have increased by almost 10%, to just over 830,000 followers, since he was imprisoned in May.

Welcoming the result the Ukip leader, Gerard Batten – who spoke at a rally in support of Robinson in July – tweeted: “A word of appreciation for the appeal court today. They held up the best traditions of English law. Fair and impartial. But the conduct of the judge in the Leeds case needs looking at. That wasn’t fair or impartial.”

Wilders tweeted: “Tommy a free man again. Resistance works. Lots of respect for @RaheemKassam and @ezralevant for all their effort and fantastic work.”

At an event last month, funded in part by US thinktank Middle East Forum and organised by former Breitbart UK editor Raheem Kassam, leading far-right politicians from Europe voiced their support for Robinson and attacked Islam.

Gregg Roman, the director of the Middle East Forum (MEF), which has also lobbied American politicians about Robinson’s case, said: “The Middle East Forum’s efforts to rally international support for Tommy Robinson’s release were vindicated today.”

Ezra Levant, the founder of Canadian far-right platform The Rebel Media, travelled to London to cover Robinson’s legal appeal. He described the finding of contempt of court against Robinson as “a stich-up” before shouting: “Tommy Robinson is free guys.”

But Nick Lowles, the chief executive of Hope Not Hate, said: “Far from being a martyr for ‘free speech’, his are the actions of a dangerous, narcissistic extremist attempting to unite the far right around his virulent Islamophobic agenda.”

Heidi Beirich, deputy director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups across the US, said the level of support for Robinson was “extraordinary”.