Tommy Robinson, best known for his activism around the rape gangs in the UK, has been one of the most vocal campaigners on immigration and authoritarianism within the United Kindom and the West.

There is no denying that Robinson is seen as a highly controversial figure with much of this image owing to the media coverage of his work and the mythological caracture that then proliforates online

Robinson and others are planning a rally in London to protest in the form of a ‘freedom rally’.

‘Stand Up To Racism’, the socialist activist group have come out to say they will be holding their own counter-protest. Many prominent names have been touted as being in attendance such as Ex-labour leader, and now independent MP for Islington North, Jeremy Corbyn.

The group go on to say:

On Saturday 27 July, fascist “Tommy Robinson” is calling on his far right, racist and Nazi thug supporters to “take over” central London. Robinson was a member of the Nazi British National Party and founded the English Defence League.

 

On 1 June the mobilisation was extremely Islamophobic and racist. Lawrence Fox echoed the Nazi National Front slogan “I want my country back”. Robinson’s supporters chanted “who the f*** is Allah” and other hateful slogans. Fascists and the far right in Britain have been fuelled by the virulent anti refugee and Islamophobic racism pushed by Sunak’s government.

 

Robinson is looking to put even bigger numbers on the streets on 27 July.  We must build the biggest protest to unite against him as possible. This means unions, faith groups, campaigns and organisations, politicians and cultural figures—all opposed fascism—coming together on the day.

 

The threat posed is heightened by a toxic climate of racism, in the wake of the breakthrough of Nigel Farage and his racist Reform UK party in the general election, which now boasts five MPs. Fascist Robinson endorsed Farage, and hard right Tory Suella Braverman, and called on his supporters to vote Reform UK. The general election was also of course immediately preceded by Sunak’s horrific racist shock detention raids after passing the Rwanda plan.

 

Sunak’s talk of “extremists” tearing Britain apart,  “Islamist” threat and “mob rule” was a racist attempt to slur Muslims and all those actively asserting their right to protest against war and for a ceasefire. Tory MPs like Braverman, Truss (no longer!) and Sunak have emboldened Islamophobes like fascist Tommy Robinson. Antisemitic hate crimes are also increasing. The Tories stoked far right fears, Islamophobia, racism and division. Shamefully, Keir Starmer’s intervention in the election was to echo racist ‘stop the boats’ rhetoric, while refusing to endorse the demand for safe passage now and the policy for safe and legal routes for accessing the internationally recognised human right to seek asylum.

 

We must unite against racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. We must vehemently defend the right to protest and want to see those hundreds of thousands who have been demonstrating in recent months over Palestine on the streets on 27 July to unite against the fascist threat.

 

Internationally fascists and the far right have made frightening gains in the European elections, taking some 30 percent in France, Italy and Austria. While anti racists and anti fascists dominated the streets in the week before the French election, and are right to celebrate the fascist Le Pen and her RN party’s failure to win the election, we must coninue to sound the alarm at the horror fascists and fhe far right in the ascendancy in France, where the fascist RN went from 89 seats to 143, and across Europe. Trump returning to the White House in November is a real prospect.

 

Robinson claimed his new film, an attempt to relaunch himself and his ‘new era’ movement, was all about “two tier” policing. But the reality is Robinson is pursuing the agenda he has for years—spreading racism, islamophobia and division and building the forces of fascism in Britain. He has to continually rebrand his agenda because the anti racist and anti fascist movement keeps breaking it, like we did when he was a member of the Nazi BNP, like we did when he was leading the English Defence League (EDL), like when did when he tried to mobilise on the football terraces, and like we did when he tried to stand as an MEP.

 

But we can’t take this for granted. It took mass mobilising, the active support of unions, politicians, cultural figures… and the mass numbers on the streets to counter his hate, expose his fascist, outnumber his thugs, and demoralise his movement, pulling away the softer layer of his support base from racist explanations by challenging racism.

 

It is imperative that we stand united against Robinson’s hatred and attempts to divide us. Join the march to show united opposition in London on Saturday 27 July.