Tommy Robinson asks wealthy American backers to help him gain asylum in the US, his team going as far as contacting Ted Cruz’s office for gaining advice on securing a visa.
So, who is Tommy Robinson?
Tommy Robinson is a far-right, anti-immigration activist who founded the English Defence League (EDL).
Despite being banned from mainstream social media, Mr. Robinson has remained as one of the UK’s highest-profile right-wing campaigners. He is most-known for his strong views on immigration, describing people who fled the Syrian war as “fake refugees” who should be “sent back”.
Court documents have now been released that reveal the EDL founder held discussions about moving his family to Texas in 2019. These documents were released by a US district court in Pennsylvania and shows just how large Robinson’s influence extends to high levels in the US.
Who did Tommy ask for backing?
The Guardian learned that Robinson’s team approached the office of Republican Senator, Ted Cruz, about securing visas into the US. It has been claimed that advisers to Cruz were contacted for legal advice on securing an extended visa for “someone who needs protection.”
Terry Giles, an American businessman and friend of Cruz, confirmed to The Guardian that he did ask the senator’s office for assistance but did not disclose that the visa was for Robinson.
A recorded meeting in early 2019 between Robinson and his supporters likewise confirms Giles to have been “actively working with Senator Cruz to advance Tommy’s visa.”
The meeting was also attended by Robinson’s solicitors, a UKIP advisor, the right-wing Canadian pundit Ezra Levant, Lisa Barbounis – an executive for the Middle East Forum – and a conservative UK think tank that donated tens of thousands of pounds towards Robinson’s legal fees.
Giles confirmed to The Guardian that Robinson has asked him to explore the potential move to the US due to “serious threats to his family.” He further added: “We were just looking into the possibilities so that I could advise them of all of the different things that they could be looking at, including applying for asylum.”
America over Britain?
Robinson, who had previously publicly appealed to Donald Trump to grant him political asylum, seemingly lost interest in the idea of moving to the US “once he realised that he couldn’t go back to the UK if he declared asylum,” according to files given to The Guardian.
Lauren Bramwell
@laurenrbramwell
Featured image courtesy of Metin Ozer on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.