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Tommy Robinson Infuriated by UK Army's Probe Into Photos of Him With Soldiers

© AFP 2023 / Daniel LEAL-OLIVASStephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (C), AKA Tommy Robinson, former leader of the right-wing EDL (English Defence League) is surrounded by supporters inside a pub, in central London on September 27, 2018, after his contempt of court hearing at the Central Criminal Court was adjourned.
Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (C), AKA Tommy Robinson, former leader of the right-wing EDL (English Defence League) is surrounded by supporters inside a pub, in central London on September 27, 2018, after his contempt of court hearing at the Central Criminal Court was adjourned. - Sputnik International
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Earlier this week, Tommy Robinson, a right-wing activist and founder of the English Defense League (EDL), posted a video and a series of photographs of himself surrounded by a group of soldiers.

The Rebel Media website, where Tommy Robinson used to work, has mounted a petition to “stop the political witch hunt against British troops” after the army launched an investigation into soldiers posing with the right-wing activist for a photo and a video, in which the men could be heard cheering and yelling his name.

According to the petition’s description, which will eventually be delivered to the chief of the defense staff, General Nick Carter, the probe was launched after the Muslim Council of the UK “complained” to the army over the photo.

Infuriated by the investigation, the right-wing activist urged people to sign the petition to show that the British public would not tolerate politically motivated persecution of the young men, who had the right to express their own freedom.

“I’ve never been charged or arrested for any racial or religious extremism ever in my life. There are false tags put on me by media and government. So, how can you discipline – not just discipline – but take their phones and investigate them, investigate these young men for having a photo taken, for expressing their own freedom? Do our armed services have a list of who you cannot have your photo taken with?” Robinson launched into a fiery rant in a live Facebook video, claiming that the army had seized the soldiers’ cell phones in a bid to find “forbidden” political ideas.

His remarks came shortly after Miqdaad Versi, spokesman for the Muslim Council, tweeted a statement by Imam Asim Hafiz, an Islamic religious adviser to the armed forces, who said “any form of racism, discrimination or extremis is taken extremely seriously and will be dealt with accordingly.”

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“The armed forces remain absolutely committed to welcoming individuals from across all faiths and cultures into its ranks,” Hafiz added.

Tommy, for his part, hit back at Versi, saying that the Muslim Council “would do better to look for extremism amongst its own communities.”

“The British Army exists to protect our culture and our freedoms,” he added.

Meanwhile, reacting to the complaints, the army spokesperson issued a statement to say that “[f]ar right ideology is completely at odds with the values and ethos of the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces have robust measures in place to ensure those exhibiting extremist views are neither tolerated nor permitted to serve.”

READ MORE: UKIP Set to Debate Membership for Tommy Robinson — Reports

Following the army’s statement, the Muslim Council said that Robinson “does not represent our armed forces, however much he tries to claim otherwise.”

“He will rile against the very real steps taken to make the military more diverse. He will remain silent on the sacrifices Muslims and others made in the two World Wars. We welcome the swift statement by the Army in disassociating itself from the far-right and we hope that safeguards are put in place to ensure that Islamophobia will have no place in our armed forces,” the statement read.

In this Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013 file photo, Tommy Robinson the former leader of the far-right EDL English Defence League group arrives for an appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court in London - Sputnik International
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Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested earlier this year on a contempt of court charge for livestreaming outside a courthouse, where a gang rape trial was being held.

The former leader of the English Defense League was already on a suspended sentence for contempt of court for using a camera in Canterbury Crown Court in May 2017 during the trial of four suspected rapists; the judge activated a three-month sentence for the previous offense and added 10 months for the new one.

In summer, the Court of Appeal overruled the original findings, stating that the proceedings were “fundamentally flawed,” and Robinson was released from prison on August 1.

READ MORE: Supporters Rally, Pubs Closed: Tommy Robinson in Court Again (VIDEO)

Most recently, The Independent cited research, suggesting that his arrest, which sparked a wave of mass protests both in the UK and abroad, boosted global support for Robinson.

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