The founder of the English Defense League, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, shared a video on Saturday saying he had been detained at Cancun Airport upon arrival with his children. “I am being deported for national security reasons,” Robinson said in the video, in which he challenged the decision to detain him, claiming he had done nothing but “criticize Islam.” Robinson has been convicted in the United Kingdom of fraud, stalking, assault, use of another passport, threatening misconduct and contempt of court. Robinson said his three children were with a friend traveling with them. The video appeared the week after he failed to attend a hearing in the Supreme Court where he was to be questioned about his finances after losing a defamation case. Robinson claimed he had gone bankrupt after losing a defamation case filed against him by Jamal Hitzazi, now 18, last year. Robinson sued after falsely claiming in a Facebook video that Hitzazi, who was videotaped attacking the school in 2018, “was not innocent and violently attacked young English girls at his school.” He was ordered to pay .000 100,000 in damages for defamation. Robinson could face jail time for contempt of court for failing to attend last week’s hearing, with the judge saying March 22 that he could only refer the matter to a Supreme Court judge to examine whether there was contempt. Judge Dagnall said that although there may be a reason why he did not attend, “he knew very well that this hearing was going to take place”. Nick Lowles, CEO of Hope Not Hate, the UK’s leading anti-fascism and anti-racism campaign team, said: “Tommy Robinson was apparently arrested in Mexico after trying to go on holiday. However, he has repeatedly claimed that he is bankrupt. Just last week, Robinson failed to appear in court over his ongoing bankruptcy investigation. “The very fact that an allegedly bankrupt man can afford to go on holiday to Mexico speaks for itself.” Lowles said Hope Not Hate believes Robinson could have up to 3 3m in assets and that the organization has gathered evidence to prove it. “Tommy Robinson’s reputation for spreading vitriol and hatred has clearly reached the international arena,” he said. Hijazi’s lawyer, Ian Helme, had also challenged Robinson’s bankruptcy claim, telling the court that there was information “that what is stated in his bankruptcy application is not a complete account”. [Robinson’s] assets”. The Guardian approached Robinson for comment.
