British far-right figure Tommy Robinson thanked Elon Musk after walking out of prison on parole Tuesday, crediting Musk's platform X with helping spread his side of the story about a libel case that landed him behind bars.
Robinson—whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon—was serving an 18-month sentence for contempt of court after repeatedly violating a court order prohibiting him from repeating libelous claims about a Syrian refugee, Jamal Hijazi, the BBC reported.
In 2018, Robinson falsely accused Hijazi of violent bullying, prompting online abuse and forcing the teenager's family to relocate. Hijazi later won a £100,000 defamation suit against Robinson in 2021.
Robinson was released early after the UK High Court accepted arguments from his legal team that he had shown a commitment to follow the injunction going forward. The judge cited a "change in attitude," despite Robinson appearing to show no remorse.
Outside the prison, Robinson streamed a live broadcast on X, thanking Musk directly. His documentary "Silenced," which repeats the false claims, was shared widely on the platform.
"I have to say a 'thank you' to Elon Musk because without X, if we didn't have X, everyone would just think I lied. No one would've got any other narrative. Fortunately, I think 167 million people saw the truth," Robinson said.
BREAKING: Tommy Robinson has just been released from prison, and the first thing he did was thank Elon Musk for allowing free speech on X. pic.twitter.com/ksrRwva6jT
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) May 27, 2025
Musk had previously posted questioning why Robinson was imprisoned, calling for his release. Meanwhile, Robinson says he plans to organize a major rally in London this September and release more films.
Free Tommy Robinson!@TRobinsonNewEra
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2025
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