UK judge adjourns contempt case against far-right activist Tommy Robinson
LONDON (Reuters) - A judge adjourned a rehearing on Thursday in a contempt-of-court action against British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose case has attracted the sympathy of right-wing supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Former English Defence League leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, or 'Tommy Robinson', who was jailed for contempt of court in May, leaves the Old Bailey after attending a hearing, in London, Britain, September 27, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
Judge Nicholas Hilliard did not fix a date but said it was likely the adjournment would be to Oct. 23.
“There’s a public interest in what’s going on,” he told the Old Bailey court. “I’m very anxious that what happens in these proceedings ... could be reported fully and contemporaneously.”
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Outside the London court, a crowd of hundreds gathered, chanting support for Robinson and waving England flags.
Robinson, 35, co-founder of the English Defence League (EDL) which has staged violent demonstrations against Islam, won an appeal last month against a contempt-of-court ruling pending a rehearing.
He was jailed in May for making video recordings outside a courthouse which revealed the identities of defendants while jurors were considering their verdicts in an ongoing trial. His real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
Sources told Reuters in July that a representative of Trump raised Robinson’s case with Britain’s ambassador to the United States following lobbying by the right-wing Breitbart.com website.
Reporting by Alistair Smout, writing by Sarah Young; editing by Stephen Addison
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