❓WHAT HAPPENED: British citizen journalist and anti-grooming gangs activist Tommy Robinson was found not guilty of failing to comply with dubious counter-terrorism orders after being stopped at the Channel Tunnel in 2024.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Tommy Robinson, Judge Sam Goozee, and British border police.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The stop occurred in 2024 at the Channel Tunnel, with the verdict delivered on a Friday morning in court.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I cannot put out of my mind that it was actually what you stood for and your political beliefs that acted for the principle reason for this stop.” – Judge Sam Goozee
🎯IMPACT: The case raises questions about the use of counter-terrorism laws and their application to politically active individuals.
British citizen journalist and anti-grooming gangs activist Tommy Robinson has been found not guilty after being charged with failing to comply with dubious counter-terrorism orders. The charges stemmed from a 2024 incident where Robinson was stopped by police at the Channel Tunnel while traveling to Spain and demanded access to his phone under counter-terrorism powers, with Robinson refusing to unlock it on the basis that he was protecting journalistic sources.
“I find it concerning that the officers have no real recollection of questions asked of you… The officer also appeared confused about his [counter-terrorism] powers,” Judge Sam Goozee said, suggesting that the stop appeared to be motivated by Robinson’s political beliefs rather than legitimate suspicion. “I cannot put out of my mind that it was actually what you stood for and your political beliefs that acted for the principle reason for this stop,” he said.
“[T]he prosecution has… failed to satisfy me so I am sure there was no unlawful discrimination. Based on that, if the decision to stop and examine you was not in accordance with the statutory purpose, it is not lawful and I cannot convict you of an offence… I therefore find you not guilty,” he told Robinson, known mainly for exposing British state failures to protect mostly working-class white girls from mostly Muslim, South Asian heritage grooming gangs.
This is not the first case against Robinson to fail in court. An attempt to prosecute him for refusing to leave a protest against anti-Semitism on the basis that his mere presence was distressing people collapsed because the police order he defied was not lawful.
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.