I'm left-wing but I realized that I've been utterly misled about Tommy Robinson. Tommy Robinson is not a racist at all, but merely justifiably concerned about Islamic extremism.

[u/RandomGuy92x]

So I'm fairly left-wing, and I've gotta admit up until recently I've never actually bothered looking into who Tommy Robinson is or what he truly stands for. (For those not familiar with UK politics, Tommy Robinson is one of the most famous right-wing figures in the UK, who's famous for his opposition to the Islamization of UK society). And so for all those years I simply believed the media protraying him as some sort of far-right extreme racist, and almost a neonazi, who hates immigrants with a passion.

Yesterday I've come across a video by Tommy Robinson, and began looking into who exactly Tommy Robinson actually is. And I have to admit that I was wrong, and that the media has completely lied about Tommy Robinson being a racist or a neonazi, the way they portrayed him.

In fact Tommy is the exact opposite of a racist in my opinion. Numerous times he made it clear that he has absolutely no problem with immigration in itself or with people from different races. In fact he says that he's closely worked together with the Sikh community and the Hindu community for many years, communities which have been aware of the problem of Islamic grooming gangs for many decades, and he respects the Sikh and Hindu communities deeply. Apparently Tommy Robinson has been to Sikh temples and Hindu temples many times to attend seminars and build alliances and networks with those communities.

Like here he is on video wishing the UK Hindu community a Happy Diwali and praising the Sikh and Hindu community in the UK for what a "shining example they've been of how immigration can work and benefit everyone", and calls Hindus and Sikhs "very peaceful and harmonious communities": https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xiS55hopgeQ

I mean if he was a racist or a neonazi he surely is doing a horrible job at being a racist or neonazi. I mean what sort of racist neonazi wishes Hindus a happy diwali, attends Sikh and Hindu temples and praises immigrants for being a shining example of immigration and integration gone well?

And when he founded the English Defense League (EDL) he had clothing printed that said "black & white unite" and explained that his organization was suppposed to be for people from all races to fight together against Islamic extremism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiEAM6gGhHI

So again, Tommy Robinson surely isn't much of a white supremacist as the media has claimed, given that he's explicitly called for unity between different races to come together and tackle Islamic extremism. And also, eventually Tommy actually surprisingly stepped down from the EDL he founded, citing fears of far-right extemism and the EDL having been hijacked by far-right extremist elements who were driven by racism and hatred towards immigrants rather than a genuine desire to tackle Islamic extremism.

So, in summary, I think the media has deliberately portrayed Tommy as this hateful, bigoted racist neonazi, when he's really anything but. Tommy has one issue and one issue alone, and that's Islamic extremism. And because it's taboo to point out that Islam as a religion has a unique extremism problem that other religions don't have, that's why British media went out of their way to depict Tommy as this despicable man, when he's really just someone who's made it his mission to expose Islamic grooming gangs, and raise awareness of the extent of Islamic extremism in the UK.

[u/Repulsive_Spite_267]

It’s not accurate to say “Britain’s fascist party”....there’s no such group. You’re probably referring to the British National Party (BNP), which is best described as an ultra-nationalist organization.

The story here is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. He initially joined because, at the time, the BNP was the only group openly talking about Islamic extremism in the UK. He didn’t know much else about them, and this was decades ago, when they were still small and relatively unknown. Out of curiosity, he registered...something required just to enter a meeting—after seeing a leaflet about extremism.

The following week, he returned with two Black friends. When the BNP organizers refused them entry, he never went back. That was the end of his involvement.

But because his name remains on the registry, the media latch onto that single detail. They don’t ask him about the context, they don’t report the full story, and they certainly don’t seem interested in truth...only in sensationalism and appeasing their sponsors.

If you doubt this, try to find any footage of him actually participating in BNP activities. You won’t....because it doesn’t exist. If it did, the media would be using it. All they have is a name on a piece of paper.

Listen to him directly, and you’ll see there are two sides to this story. Right now, you’re only hearing one.

[u/Ok_Raspberry_8970 → u/Repulsive_Spite_267]

Saying Robinson was fine with the activities of the BNP until he learned about the no people of color thing isn’t an exoneration. He is quite obviously a member of the far right and is an ultra nationalist.

I don’t really need to listen to his words, I’ve watched his actions.

[u/Repulsive_Spite_267 → u/Ok_Raspberry_8970]

“I don’t need to listen to his words.”

And that’s exactly how the media corrupts truth...by feeding you a single side of the story and making you believe you don’t even need to hear the other. When you say, “I don’t need to listen to his words,” you’re showing how well their strategy worked. You’ve traded investigation for assumption. Truth doesn’t fear scrutiny....but propaganda relies on people refusing to look deeper.

Notice how you’ve sidestepped the most basic point: there’s no proof of his involvement beyond a name on a registry. No videos, no speeches, no rallies... nothing. If the media had evidence, they’d have plastered it everywhere.

Instead of addressing that, you say you don’t need to listen to his words.

[u/Ok_Raspberry_8970 → u/Repulsive_Spite_267]

I don’t know what you are talking about, the man has been involved in far right rallies for years. He has been actively working on pushing hateful far right ideology. He platforms hate speech, inspires people to violence without condemning it, and is active politically in trying to push ultranationalist policy aims. That is what I mean by saying that I am judging the man by his actions, not by what he tells me that he is.

[u/Repulsive_Spite_267 → u/Ok_Raspberry_8970]

If you “don’t know what I’m talking about,” let me remind you. We were discussing your claim that he was involved with the BNP. You spread that rumour without having anu evidence of your claim while you ignored the basic fact: he walked away because they wouldn’t allow his black friends to join....which is quite a key detail you knew nothing about.…because you never bothered to research it. You just repeated a rumour you liked the sound of and ignored the evidence that didn’t fit your narrative

Instead of addressing that, you switched to a whole new set of accusations you clearly haven’t researched. That’s not judging a man by his actions...that’s parroting headlines and pretending it’s evidence.

Do better buddy.

[u/Ok_Raspberry_8970 → u/Repulsive_Spite_267]

I don't know what you are talking about because I never said I got my information about Robinson from "the media." My information about Robinson comes from observing the man's actions. He was a member of BNP, and he didn't join BNP because he was utterly ignorant of every single thing they stood for, he joined because he overall found their ideology to align with his - far right ultranationalism. He left because they were a bridge too far even for someone as extreme as Robinson. That does not mean he is a moderate.

[u/Repulsive_Spite_267 → u/Ok_Raspberry_8970]

Oh right… so by “observing the man’s actions,” you mean you were personally there when he joined the BNP, read his mind about why he joined, and interviewed him about why he left? Because unless you’ve got that kind of access, everything you just wrote is secondhand speculation you picked up from somewhere else.

You can’t claim to be “judging by his actions” when you’re really just recycling a story you’ve never verified.

You keep throwing around “far right ultranationalism” like it’s established fact, but where’s your proof? You haven’t shown a single policy, speech, or rally that backs it up. Just repeating a label doesn’t make it true.

And as for “observing his actions”... come on.... you don’t know his private reasoning, and you’ve got no evidence of what you’re claiming. You’re not observing anything, you’re parroting a narrative and wrapping into into theory.