Fresh from prison, the founder and ex-leader of the English Defence League (EDL), Tommy Robinson, is using Twitter to highlight various ‘Muslim grooming gangs.’
The tweets began on August 27, as Robinson lamented the political correctness. A day later and Robinson made his first reference to ‘Muslim grooming gangs’ amid serious allegations against South Yorkshire Police.
Robinson then shared three images related to ‘grooming gang convictions’. The data is from “Easy Meat – Multiculturalism, Islam and Child Sex Slavery” published by the Law and Freedom Foundation – an organisation who also helps “local neighbourhoods to resist planning applications for mosques.”
But the nature of the source is not revealed to Robinson’s near 90k Twitter following. A closer inspection of the images reveals two non-Asian names: Graham Blackburn and Robert Jackson.
Both individuals were part of gangs that readily exploited young girls. Jackson was convicted in 2013 and Blackburn in 2010.
In between musing about what links Boko Haram, ISIS and Rotherham, Robinson asserts that ‘Rape Jihad’ is a more appropriate term. The inflammatory rhetoric continues with references to ‘Muslim predators.’
On August 29, Robinson tweeted, “I/we have been ridiculed and called bigots for 5 years for trying 2 raise and highlight the issue of Muslim grooming! #Rotherham #vindicated.” The ‘we’ is a clear reference to the EDL.
In spite of the public disassociation, Robinson continues to share content from his days with the group. He retweeted an individual who used the EDL’s NFSE (No Fucking Surrender Ever) slogan.
A tweet sent on the same day used the word ‘us’ in the context of a separate EDL discussion. The deliberate choice of language is noteworthy (or simply a reflection of Twitter’s character limits).
Nor has Robinson stopped exploiting tension between Sikhs and Muslims after sharing an infamous urban legend.
The appalling abuse of one victim is a prop for the offensive hashtag ‘#RAPEJIHAD’. Robinson uses the hashtag again on September 17.
In a repeat of old tactics, Robinson tweeted, “Muslims attacked our troops, who did police arrest? U guessed it. How were they ever allowed to disrupt homecomings” But the footage is over four years old and features the now proscribed Muslims Against Crusades.
On September 14, Robinson referenced a sex offender’s community order without mentioning that it was issued in November 2013.
Of all the possible examples, why did Robinson pick this one? The clue is in the perpetrators name and assumed Islamic faith.
Tommy Robinson is also a fan of false comparisons. On September 17, he tweeted, “Mosques handle is more valued than girl sexually assaulted by Rotherham Muslim.”
The desecration of an Edinburgh mosque with bacon by the far-right was a cowardly act and the individuals went to prison for a variety of reasons.
Equally cowardly, was Raja Hussain’s unprovoked assault upon a female train passenger. But according the Metro, his prison sentence was suspended on grounds of previous good behaviour.
Other examples of Robinson’s post-prison tweets include speculation about Muslim demographics, spreading the false William Gladstone Islam meme, denying accusations of racism, highlighting a death threat, and linking to a video of ISIS executing David Haines.
Robinson shoehorns Islam into stories of abuse with little evidence outside of ethnicity. Perhaps most telling is Robinson’s failure to acknowledge female victims when they are of Pakistani-heritage.
A selective and simplistic approach to the horrors in Rotherham will not help victims get the justice they richly deserve.
Has Robinson’s rhetoric truly changed?
