ANTI-ISLAM campaigner Tommy Robinson has announced he will join Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes on his Australian tour in December, in a move likely to increase pressure on the government to ban the right-wing activists from entering the country.
Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is the former leader of the English Defence League and is one of the most prominent anti-Islam voices in the UK. Earlier this year he spent two months in jail after being sentenced for contempt of court for live-streaming outside a “grooming gang” trial.
The 35-year-old was released on bail in August and ordered to face a retrial. A judge last week referred the long-running case to the attorney-general to determine whether it should be dropped.
In a Facebook video on Monday, Robinson said he was coming to Australia to “thank everyone” for their support, “providing all is good”. “We’re going to see over the next couple of days,” he said.
“I guess there’s going to be a lot of people getting triggered in Australia and hopefully a lot of people happy I’ll be coming. Eight weeks ago I was sitting in solitary confinement in prison, and now I’m probably going to address American Congress and speak in cities across Australia.”
The tour, dubbed “The Deplorables”, is being organised by Penthouse magazine and follows controversial visits by right-wing provocateurs Milo Yiannopoulos and Lauren Southern, both of which were marred by clashes between attendees and protesters.
There are growing calls for McInnes to have his visa rejected on character grounds. The former Vice co-founder has described his Proud Boys group as a “gang” and encourages members to brawl with left-wing groups like Antifa.
Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich called on Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to reject both men’s visas, saying the tour would “whip up fear and unrest in our nation and should be of grave concern”.
He said McInnes held “hateful, anti-Semitic and abhorrent views” and he would “not be surprised if one of his rallies will result in rioting in the streets as well as in violence and bloodshed”.
“This is an individual who has said that he hates Jews and who has demonised Muslims, women, Africans and gays, and who brought a sword to an event and performed a re-enactment of the assassination of Japanese leader Inejiro Asanuma — a killing he described an ‘inspiring moment’ in history,” he said.
Dr Abramovich said in the aftermath of the Pittsburgh massacre and a surge in anti-Semitism, “we should not be giving McInnes a platform to spew his vile rhetoric”.
On Robinson, Dr Abramovich said it was “alarming that a far-right extremist and white-nationalist” was planning to visit Australia.
“Mr Robinson has a number of criminal convictions and has served time in prison for contempt and for trying to enter the US with a false passport,” he said.
“Allowing an individual, whose group has engaged in threats and incidents of violence with police, and who through fiery rhetoric and race-baiting promotes religious bigotry and vilification, would be a mistake.”
In his Facebook video, Robinson said he knew there would be “a lot of people trying to stop” his visit and that there would be “many people who know very little about me spreading lies and rumours and just out and out bulls**t about who I am and what I stand for”.
“They’ll be saying I’m a white supremacist,” he said. “For the record, I despise white supremacy. I’ve got a 10-year history of battling and confronting genuine Nazis. The real far-right hate me and despise me in my own country, I’m known as a race traitor.”
Penthouse publisher Damien Costas denied Robinson was Islamophobic. “There’s a big difference between Muslims and the perceived ideology of Islam,” he said.
“In my opinion, people don’t have a problem with Muslims, I think they have a problem with extreme Islam and the issues that come with that. I would say the vast majority of Australians don’t have an issue with multiculturalism, it’s when certain groups start advocating a nation with two separate sets of laws. That’s a very different story and a very divisive notion.”
He also claimed McInnes “doesn’t advocate violence at all”. “He’s a comedian, he advocates self-defence,” he said.
“It’s easy to take what he says out of context and silly to do so. For a number of years, conservatives, especially in the US, have been told to turn the other cheek and take a beating from groups like Antifa because violence is wrong. Now it’s at the point where it’s expected. That’s just wrong.”
He added historically “in many cases, the authorities haven’t intervened”. “There’s now an attitude that if the police are not going to get involved, the victims should hit back,” he said. “That’s a very sad state of affairs.”
Speaking to news.com.au in August, McInnes said he saw it as a “comedy tour” but predicted it would draw violent left-wing protesters.
“I don’t know why,” he said. “We don’t come to their things. I don’t understand why there’s a problem with free speech. Why is that seen as a threat?”
He added “people will show up and if they want to fight, I’m happy to fight”. “Our motto is we don’t start fights but we’re happy to finish them,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs declined to say whether visas for the pair would be rejected. “The Department does not comment on individual cases,” they said.
“All non-citizens entering Australia must meet the character requirements set out in the Migration Act 1958 (the Act), prior to the grant of any visa. For visitors who may hold controversial views, any risk they may pose will be balanced against Australia’s well established freedom of speech and freedom of beliefs, among other relevant considerations.”