British far-right figure, Tommy Robinson, has claimed that he was detained and deported from both Colombia and Panama.
Robinson — whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon — said in an X post on 19 September that he had travelled to South America because he “needed a break.”
He had chosen the continent on the basis that “no-one will really know [him],” meaning there was a “low chance of grief.”
Robinson’s first destination was the Colombian capital Bogota, after which he was supposed to travel to some islands, to have “a really relaxing time, a total chill time.”
The father-of-three did not name the islands he was intending to visit.
Upon arriving in Bogota, Robinson claims that he was detained due to being a “threat to national security,” and spent the entire day in a detention room, awaiting deportation back to the UK.
The X post appeared to show Colombian deportation papers which were delivered to Robinson on September 19.
They stated: “the person represents a risk to the Security of the State or the citizen coexistence.”
The far-right campaigner said: “Colombia — the country that exports beautiful women and narcos […] — deems me, because of my political beliefs [a threat].”
The 42-year-old claims he asked Colombian border officials if he could book a flight to another destination rather than returning to the UK, which they agreed to.
Robinson says he then flew to Panama.
He claims he was detained again after landing and told he would be deported.
At the time of posting the video, Robinson said that he had been waiting for six hours for his flight from Panama back to the UK.
Robinson’s attempted trip followed the far-right Unite the Kingdom Rally which took place in London on September 12.
The demonstration, which Robinson organized, attracted around 150,000 protesters, and was condemned by London’s Metropolitan Police for its “wholly unacceptable” violence.
Police reported 24 arrests, with police officers suffering broken teeth, concussion, a prolapsed disc, a head injury, and a possible broken nose.
Robinson, who is from the large southeastern town of Luton, is renowned for his anti-Islam and anti-immigration views.
He founded the English Defence League (EDL) in 2009: an anti-immigrant movement that particularly targeted British Muslims, and claimed to seek to preserve English culture.
Robinson left the group in 2013, claiming he had concerns about the dangers of far-right extremism, though in the past month has condemned “Muslim rape gangs,” described Gazan refugees as “people who support beheading babies,” and criticized “the migrant invasion of the UK.”
This is not the first time Robinson has been refused entry into a Latin American country.
In 2022, he claimed that he was detained in Mexico’s Cancún airport after arriving with his children.
He alleged that he was “deported as a matter of national security,” saying in the video that he had done nothing apart from “criticize Islam.”
The campaigner has a substantial criminal record.
Robinson was convicted of assault in 2005 and 2011, and was in 2011 given a 12-month community rehabilitation order for leading a brawl involving more than 100 soccer fans.
He was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment in 2013 for using a false passport to gain entry to the U.S., and in 2014 received an 18-month prison sentence for mortgage fraud.
Robinson was imprisoned for six months in 2019 for contempt of court, after encouraging his supporters to “harass” a defendant in a grooming gang case.
In 2021, he received a five-year stalking protection order after The Independent journalist Lizzie Dearden and her boyfriend Samuel Partridge reported him to the police.
Robinson was imprisoned again for contempt of court in 2024, after repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee. He served seven months of an 18-month sentence.
Latin America Reports contacted authorities in Colombia and Panama for comment. They had not replied by the time of publication.
Featured image credit:
Image: Tommy Robinson
Photographer: Shayan Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tommy_Robinson_%282%29.jpg
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
