AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson has been acquitted of violating anti-terrorism laws after refusing to provide police with the passcode to his mobile phone. Following the verdict, Robinson expressed gratitude to U.S. billionaire Elon Musk for funding his legal defense.
The 42-year-old Robinson, a well-known figure among Britain’s far-right nationalist and anti-immigration circles, was stopped by police in June 2024 while passing through the Channel Tunnel station in southeast England. Officers grew suspicious due to his behavior, the high value of the car he had borrowed from a friend, and his last-minute ticket to Benidorm, Spain. His phone was subsequently confiscated.
According to the prosecutor, police requested Robinson’s phone password for investigation purposes, but he refused, claiming that the device contained confidential journalistic material. In his ruling, the judge stated that it appeared Robinson had been detained because of his political views, making the police’s action unlawful.
After leaving the court, Robinson told reporters, “First of all, I want to thank Elon Musk. Why should an American businessman have to pay for justice and defend journalists against terrorism charges in this country?”
Musk, who has frequently reposted Robinson’s messages on X, had earlier appeared virtually at a London rally organized by Robinson that drew around 150,000 attendees.
Robinson alleged that the UK’s counterterrorism police had targeted him for political reasons to access his personal and professional data, while critics continue to describe him as an extremist figure inciting racial tensions.
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