Tesla CEO Elon Musk ramped up his posts in support of British far-right activist Tommy Robinson on X this week, as Musk has increasingly waded into other countries’ politics in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s win—and as Robinson, a divisive figure in the United Kingdom, has been frequently championed by Trump’s supporters.
Metropolitan Police officers arrest British far-right activist Tommy Robinson during a demonstration ... [+]
Musk has repeatedly posted in support of Robinson, who is serving an 18-month prison sentence, pinning a post saying “Free Tommy Robinson!” to the top of his page on X and posting or reposting content about Robinson and the U.K. government more than a dozen times on Wednesday alone.
Robinson—whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lemmon—founded the anti-Islam English Defence League and has become a major far-right figure in the U.K., attracting thousands of supporters to rallies and garnering widespread criticism for his divisive anti-immigrant rhetoric.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October after being found guilty of contempt, as Robinson repeatedly violated a court order finding him liable for making libelous claims about a Syrian refugee, which he has continued to repeat despite that ruling.
Musk reinstated Robinson’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the far-right activist was previously banned from the platform, and has tweeted in support of Robinson in the past, but has ramped up his support in recent days.
The posts supporting Robinson come as Musk has increasingly inserted himself into British politics: he met with Nigel Farage, the leader of the U.K.’s far-right Reform UK Party, in December, and Farage claimed Musk is giving “serious thought” to helping bankroll the British party.
Robinson was sentenced to prison over a controversy in 2018, as the far-right figure made false claims about refugee Jamal Hijazi after a video went viral showing the Syrian teenager being attacked by other students at school. Robinson responded to the video and falsely claimed Hijazi “was not innocent” and was a bully who had committed violence against other students, making the claims in a Facebook video that the BBC reports garnered nearly a million views by the time of Robinson’s trial. A British court found Robinson liable for libel in 2021, ordering him to pay £100,000 in damages (approximately $120,000) plus legal costs to Hijazi. Robinson has repeatedly continued to make the false claims about the Syrian refugee, however, including in a video that he played at a rally and has posted online. “All [Robinson’s] actions suggest that he regards himself as being above the law,” the judge overseeing Robinson’s case said about the activist, as CNN reports Robinson admitted he had violated the court ruling 10 times. This is Robinson’s fifth time in prison, The Guardian notes.
Musk has repeatedly made statements in support of Robinson, saying he should be freed from prison and that Robinson’s documentary—in which he repeated false claims about Hijazi—is “worth watching.” The billionaire has also posted comments criticizing the U.K. government’s decision to not investigate alleged instances of child sexual abuse, as right-wing U.K. figures have criticized the left-wing Labour Party, which controls the government, for leaving the investigations up to local authorities. Musk has falsely claimed Robinson was imprisoned for speaking out against the sexual abuse, which was allegedly primarily perpetrated by men of Pakistani descent, even though he was actually jailed for contempt. Musk has also repeatedly criticized the Labour Party and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer more broadly, claiming in August the country was on the brink of “civil war” due to the left-wing government’s leadership and saying Wednesday night the country should hold a new election. Labour Party politicians have denounced Musk’s comments and U.K. political experts have slammed the billionaire’s claims of impending civil war, with Queen Mary University of London professor Tim Bale telling NBC News in August, “No one who has even a passing familiarity with the country would embarrass themselves by making such an absurd prediction.”
Robinson’s activism in the U.K. has made him popular among the far-right in the U.S., which could further explain why Musk is so publicly aligning himself with the British figure. Proud Boys leader Enrico Tarrio has praised Robinson as an inspiration, according to The New York Times, which notes Donald Trump Jr. has also hailed Robinson, and Trump ally Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., flew to London to speak at one of the British activist’s rallies. Robinson has praised Trump and told the ex-president’s supporters after the Jan. 6 riot to “pick [themselves] back up” and continue to fight, and the Times reported in 2021 that he spoke with Tarrio and the Proud Boys after the 2020 election to encourage them to help keep Trump in power.
How the British government will respond to Musk’s increasing activism in U.K. politics. Some Labour Party politicians have called for the country’s government to leave X over Musk’s comments in support of Robinson, The Guardian reports, though others fear doing so would inflame tensions with the incoming Trump administration. Farage’s suggestion that Musk could start giving millions to the Reform UK Party has also sparked calls from the left for the government to institute new anti-corruption measures that would limit how much foreign nationals like Musk can give politicians and political parties through their companies. While Musk is not a U.K. national, he could legally make political donations in the U.K. through the British branch of his companies, which the proposed regulations would restrict.
Though they’re both far-right figures in the U.K., Robinson is divisive even within Farage’s Reform UK party. Farage has sought to distance himself from the activist, The Guardian notes, though it remains to be seen how Musk’s outspoken advocacy for Robinson’s release could affect his newfound ties with Farage and Reform UK. “As for the Tommy Robinsons and those that genuinely do stir up hatred, well I’ve never had anything to do with them,” Farage said in a video posted to X in August, which responded to riots that broke out throughout the country that were fueled by far-right anti-immigration activists.
Musk has become increasingly involved in politics in recent months, as he became one of Trump’s most high profile supporters in the wake of the July assassination attempt against the ex-president. The billionaire went on to pour millions into a super PAC dedicated to helping Trump and was rewarded with Trump tapping him to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” with fellow Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk, who previously gave little money publicly to political causes, has now started weighing in on other countries’ politics as well. In addition to his foray into U.K. politics, the Tesla CEO has championed Germany’s far-right Alternative for Deutschland party, commonly referred to as AfD. Musk claimed on X the party is the only one that can “save Germany” and backed the party in an op-ed published in Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Robinson’s popularity in the U.K. and Musk’s championing of AfD comes as far-right populism made significant gains throughout Europe in 2024, with far-right parties notching major wins in countries including Austria, the Netherlands and France in addition to the U.K. and Germany.
Elon Musk Supports Germany’s Far-Right AfD Party In Opinion Piece (Forbes)
‘He’s like a gangster’: How Tommy Robinson became leader of Britain’s far right (The Guardian)
U.K. Far Right, Lifted by Trump, Now Turns to Russia (The New York Times)
Who Is Tommy Robinson, the Activist Behind a Far-Right London Rally? (The New York Times)