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Tommy Robinson has won his appeal against his conviction for contempt of court and has been released on bail.

The far-right activist was jailed for 13 months in May after broadcasting a Facebook Live outside Leeds Crown Court that potentially jeopardised an ongoing criminal trial.

He pleaded guilty the day of his arrest and was sentenced immediately.

But he has now been released from prison after judges found his conviction was 'flawed' and rushed.

Supporters in the packed courtroom broke into a round of applause as Lord Burnett announced the decision.

The judge ordered that there should be "silence" as he continued to read a summary of the reasons for Wednesday's ruling.

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The 35-year-old was released on bail and there will be a re-hearing on the charge of contempt of court.

The judges considered not sending Robinson for a new hearing given that he already served four months behind bars, however, this was rejected because the alleged contempt "was serious and the sentence might be longer" than four months.

Supporter David Scott said outside court: "Brilliant result. I think it's the best we can hope for at the moment.

"Hopefully it will start a backlash against what's gone wrong with this country."

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A statement from Carson Kaye solicitors, which represented Robinson, said: "The rule of law and the right to a fair hearing are fundamental to every individual and this ruling is an example of the procedural safeguards of our system, and its potential for protecting every citizen equally.

"What makes the British system so unique is the ability to set aside personal feelings and deal with the law and each case on its merits."

In May Robinson, real name Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, admitted contempt of court after filming outside an ongoing case that was subject to strict reporting restrictions to avoid a mistrial.

The broadcast was watched an estimated 250,000 times.

But today the Court of Appeal heavily criticised the decision for Robinson to be tried the same day as the offence.

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The Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett and two other judges in London quashed a finding of contempt made in May at Leeds Crown Court and ordered a fresh hearing of the allegation.

The court agreed with Robinson's barrister that the judge should not have commenced contempt of court proceedings the same day he was arrested.

In a summary of the judgement they wrote: "Once the appellant had removed the video from Facebook, there was no longer sufficient urgency to justify immediate proceedings."

The 35-year-old was also in breach of a suspended sentence for a similar offence in Canterbury, with the appeal against that conviction thrown out.

He was not in court today to see the result of his appeal but watched via videolink.

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His jailing triggered protests all over the country and there has been a campaign to release him under the '#FreeTommy' hashtag.

Police were patrolling outside the Court of Appeal today because disruption was expected.

About 25 Robinson supporters had gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice by the time the ruling was made.

They cheered when news of the decision filtered through. A similar number of people staged a "Stand Up To Racism" protest.

The two groups were separated by a line of police and exchanged chants.

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The campaign to 'Free Tommy' even attracted political support in the United States, according to Reuters, who said that a diplomat representing Donald Trump lobbied the UK and threatened to publicly criticise the handling of the case.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett and two other leading judges announced their decision in his case this morning at the Court of Appeal.

A group of about 30 anti-fascist protesters gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice after the ruling, shouting chants including "Nazi scum, off our streets" and "refugees are welcome here".

A date for re-hearing is yet to be set.

The far-right activist was given 10 months for contempt of court, which he admitted, and a further three months for breaching a previous suspended sentence.

His supporters claimed his prison term was a 'death sentence' because of his far-right views.

Robinson, 35, sent a legal team to the Court of Appeal in London to argue his sentence should be cut.

During the last hearing, his QC Jeremy Dein urged Lord Burnett and two other judges to overturn contempt of court findings, submitting that procedural 'deficiencies' had given rise to 'prejudice'.

Mr Dein, when asking the judges to reduce the jail sentence, argued that it was 'manifestly excessive', and said that 'insufficient weight' had been given to personal mitigation.

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The QC told the judges: "We maintain it is of particular importance that right from the outset the appellant, albeit in a very stressful and difficult situation, offered to have the live stream taken down and contact people who could do so."

UKIP's leader Gerard Batten has compared Robinson to Nelson Mandela, the man who spent decades fighting to end the racist state of South Africa.

Th MEP heaped praise on the jailed far-right EDL founder, who has accused Islamic extremists of "waging war on us" and was banned from Twitter for breaching its policy on "hateful conduct".

He told the BBC's Newsnight: "In the great scheme of things, when these events are played out, he will be seen as on the right side of a struggle between good and evil."