Tommy Robinson case: EDL founder denies encouraging violence in contempt hearing as supporters heckle and jeer outside
Updates from the Old Bailey
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Tommy Robinson denied encouraging violence against defendants in a grooming trial when he gave evidence during contempt of court proceedings.
The 36-year-old former leader of the English Defence League is accused of breaching reporting restrictions by livestreaming a video on Facebook while the jury in that case was considering its verdicts.
He was arrested while still filming and was jailed for 13 months in May 2018, only to be freed on appeal because the hearing was "fundamentally flawed".
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, appeared at the Old Bailey for a new contempt hearing following an application by attorney general Geoffrey Cox.
Outside court around 200 supporters gathered around a makeshift stage in front of a double-decker bus, chanting his name and shouting "shame, shame" at journalists. The case is due to finish on Friday.
Follow updates from court as they happened in our liveblog below
Good morning and welcome to live coverage of Tommy Robinson's contempt of court hearing at the Old Bailey in central London.
The hearing is expected to start at around 10.30am and is due to last two days.
The alleged contempt concerns Robinson's conduct outside Leeds Crown Court in May last year.
It is argued that he violated blanket reporting restrictions meant to safeguard ongoing trials relating to grooming offences.
Robinson and his supporters, however, say it is a politically-motivated attempt to silence his views and have defended his comments as "free speech".
For more detail on the alleged contempt and the legal developments in the case, here is a helpful explainer from The Independent's home affairs correspondent Lizzie Dearden.
Since that piece was written Robinson has failed to win election to the European Parliament as an MEP for the North West region.
Campaigners from Stand Up to Racism have called for "continuing opposition" to Robinson, claiming he is trying to use the court case "to garner support for his divisive politics of hate."
Weyman Bennett, from Stand Up to Racism said: "Tommy Robinson is a lifelong racist and fascist. He has spent the last 10 years organising events targeting Muslim communities, migrants and the labour movement. From the English Defence League to the present day. He is part of a new far right movement which is threatening the very fabric of our democratic society. We have to continue to stand together to stop him."
Sabby Dhalu added: "Stephen Yaxley-Lennon’s recent humiliation at the polls in the North West after a vibrant campaign by anti-fascists shows the overwhelming majority of society opposes his racist, divisive agenda. But there is no time for complacency – his attempts to mobilise on the basis of hatred and division will find purchase as long as the Islamophobia of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and others continues to be peddled. We have to unite both against the far-right and the racism that feeds them."
For those interested in the legal details of the case, here's the Appeal Court judgement which quashed the original finding of contempt of court at Leeds.
Some further background from Press Association:
During a hearing at the Old Bailey last month, Andrew Caldecott QC said the Attorney General considers Robinson's conduct during the Leeds Crown Court trial to be of "great concern".
That trial, which involved members of a Huddersfield grooming gang, was covered by a reporting restriction banning publication of any details until after the end of several linked cases, in a bid to ensure the defendants all received a fair trial.
Robinson discussed the case during a Facebook Live video lasted an hour and a half and was viewed online 250,000 times. He also said of a defendant: "Harass him, find him, go knock on his door, follow him, see where he works, see what he's doing."
Mr Caldecott said Robinson discussed how his video would be shared and "hopefully millions" of people would see it.
The barrister added: "The Attorney General is extremely concerned that conduct of the kind, particularly in those two passages seen in the context of the wider video, should in any way be considered as acceptable."
Robinson's solicitors argued that contempt proceedings should not be pursued for various reasons, including the "exceptionally arduous" conditions of imprisonment he has already endured, a "medical matter", "delay", and "cost to the public purse".
Robinson's supporters are expected to gather outside the Old Bailey during the new contempt of court hearing today, as they did in June.
Robinson arrived at court to applause and chants from his supporters and made his way to a temporary stage in front of a red double-decker bus bearing a picture of his face with a piece of tape covering his mouth.
In a direct appeal to "the mainstream media", Robinson says: "It's not me on trial today - it's your freedom as journalists.
"This will he used as a test case. I have not broke any law."
His supporters, led by a man with a loudspeaker, have been chanting "oh, Tommy, Tommy ... Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy Robinson".
They also shouted: "We want justice, we want justice now," and "Tommy Robinson is a history maker."
The supporters are separated from the main walkway into the court by a series of interconnected metal fences.