How jailed British activist Tommy Robinson became the latest cause for Donald Trump’s base and US ‘alt-right’

Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, defended Robinson on London’s LBC radio last week, reportedly describing him off-mic as ‘the backbone’ of Britain

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Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson, former leader of the right-wing EDL, is escorted away by police from a rally in central London in 2017. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:15pm, 21 Jul 2018Updated: 8:16pm, 21 Jul 2018

Supporters of US President Donald Trump are taking up the cause of an anti-Islam activist jailed in Britain for contempt of court, raising fears of a far-right revival.

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, widely known by his pseudonym Tommy Robinson, was imprisoned for 13 months earlier this year for live-streaming outside a court in breach of reporting restrictions around a trial.

Robinson is the founder of the English Defence League (EDL), a fringe group protesting perceived threats from Islamic extremism, and he has a string of convictions on charges including assault, fraud and drugs possession. The name he uses is that of a well-known football hooligan.

Trump supporters mix with protesters at a rally by supporters of far-right spokesman Tommy Robinson in Trafalgar Square in central London on July 14, 2018. Photo: AFP

Conspiracy theories about his case have spread wildly on social media, drawing particular attention in the US among supporters of the so-called “alt-right”.

The campaign spread further after Donald Trump Jnr, the US president’s son, retweeted a comment about Robinson.