TOMMY Robinson has been jailed for 18 months after showing a film containing slurs about a Syrian refugee.

The 41-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, appeared at Woolwich Crown Court today after breaching a 2021 High Court order barring him from repeating false claims about a then-schoolboy.

AFPTommy Robinson was jailed for 18 months today[/caption]PAHe admitted wrongdoing during the court hearing[/caption]APThe activist breached a 2021 High Court order barring him from repeating false claims[/caption]RexHundreds of his supporters protested in central London on Saturday[/caption]

Far-right activist Robinson was accused of being in contempt of court over having published, caused, authorised or procured a film titled Silenced, which contained the libellous allegations.

The Solicitor General said he knowingly breached the order on four occasions.

WHY WAS TOMMY ROBINSON JAILED?

Robinson breached a 2021 High Court order barring him from repeating false claims about then-schoolboy Jamal Hijazi, who successfully sued him for libel.

The Solicitor General issued the first contempt claim against Robinson in June this year, claiming he knowingly breached the order on four occasions.

In court today, Robinson admitted the charges.

Lawyers previously told a judge that the breaches included Robinson having published, caused, authorised or procured a film titled Silenced, which contained the libellous allegations, in May last year.

The second claim was issued in August, concerning six further breaches, including playing the film to a demonstration in Trafalgar Square in central London earlier this year, which lawyers for the Solicitor General told an earlier hearing was a flagrant breach of the court order.

Aidan Eardley KC, for the Solicitor General, said the film was viewed very extensively, including being seen by 2.2 million people after being reposted by Andrew Tate.

And, he said in written submissions that by the time the second claim was issued, it had received 44m views on X alone.

He claimed that all of the paragraphs of the injunction were breached at one point or another by the film.

The sentence for contempt of court can be up to two years imprisonment at the Crown Court or one month at the magistrates court.

WHAT IS CONTEMPT OF COURT?

Contempt of court is a legal term that describes behaviour that interferes with the justice process or risks unfairly influencing a court case, according to Gov.uk.

Disobeying a court order

This could include a litigant breaking a freezing order, a protester entering land thats prohibited by an injunction, or someone breaching the terms of an Anti-Social Behaviour Injunction (ASBI).

Interfering with court proceedings

This could include disrupting a hearing, abusing court staff or witnesses, or shouting out in court.

Making unauthorised recordings

This could include making or publishing an audio recording of court proceedings without the courts permission.

Publicly commenting on a court case

This could include social media posts or online news articles that could prejudice the course of justice.

Taking photos or videos in court

Its usually a criminal offense to take photos or videos in a court room, the court building, or its precincts, or to publish such photographs or videos.

WHAT IS SILENCED?

Silenced is a film which contains the false and libellous allegations about Mr Hijazi which Robinson was banned from repeating.

Sasha Wass KC, for Robinson, told the court that the films production was funded by Infowars, a company run by American Alex Jones, who has claimed that the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre was a hoax.

The activist played the film to a demonstration in Trafalgar Square in central London.

It also remains pinned to the top of Robinsons profile on social media site X, while he also repeated the claims in three interviews between February and June 2023.

Mr Eardley said the film was viewed very extensively, including being seen by 2.2 million people after being reposted by Andrew Tate.

And, he said in written submissions that by the time the second claim was issued, it had received 44m views on X alone.

He claimed that all of the paragraphs of the injunction were breached at one point or another by the film.

Mr Eardley said in written submissions that the court can be sure that the defendant was responsible for the publication of the film and also intended that it should be shared as widely as possible via other channels.

ReutersRobinson arriving at Folkestone Police Station on Friday[/caption]ReutersHe claimed he had been ordered to hand himself in[/caption]