Tommy Robinson: why the anti-immigration campaigner has moved to Spain after alleged arson attack - and what he’s said about refugees

Far-right leader Tommy Robinson has claimed that his family have been forced to leave the UK.

Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, posted a video explaining that he and his family had left the country due to threats of violence.

It is believed that Robinson may have fled to Spain.

Why has Tommy Robinson left the UK?

Tommy Robinson, who has spent most of his life in Luton, claimed in a video circulated on social media that his wife was the target of an arson attack several weeks ago.

He said the incident “was targeted against my wife's property.”

"At that point we left the country straight away and I'm looking at relocating my family, which is pretty hard to do, especially with Covid — I couldn't even get a hotel."

He added: "I need my family to be away because they are not safe basically."

Robinson claims that the alleged attack took place after he criticised Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd.

Where is Tommy Robinson?

Robinson did not specify where he and his family had moved to, but comments made by the far-right activist suggest he moved to Spain.

Explaining why he wouldn’t be able to attend a rally in the country, Robinson referred to the reimposing of a quarantine for people visiting the UK from Spain.

He said:"Obviously my wife has had enough of everything — someone gave her somewhere to stay, so we left the country, and I was due to be flying back for the demonstration, but now with this 14-day quarantine, I probably won't get back out and my kids are out here."

A quarantine for people visiting or returning to the UK from Spain was reintroduced last week.

What has Robinson said about people fleeing persecution in the past?

Tommy Robinson is labelled by Hope Not Hate as a far-right, Islamophobic extremist.

Four years prior to his move to Spain he said that Muslim refugees fleeing a warzone in Syria should be “sent back”.

He said: “I’d personally send every adult male Muslim that has come into the EU over the past 12 months back tomorrow if I could. Fake refugees.”

Robinson has also frequently targeted the Muslim community with Islamophobic abuse.

At an EDL rally he said “every single Muslim” in the UK had “got away with” the July 7 bombings. He has also used the slurs ‘muzzrat’ and ‘hooknose’ in the past.