British activist Tommy Robinson was freed from prison on bail Wednesday after winning an appeal against a contempt of court charge.
“Tommy is Free! His conviction for contempt of court in Leeds has been overturned. He has been released on bail with no conditions pending a re-trial of the Leeds case. He is coming home! Thank you to everyone who has supported Tommy,” his official Facebook account posted Wednesday.
Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett approved Robinson’s appeal “essentially because the process was flawed,” he said. Burnett allowed Robinson to be released on bail on the conditions that he would attend the rehearing and that he would not come within 400 meters (about 1,312 feet) of Leeds Court, where he was initially arrested for contempt of court.
News of Robinson’s release was trending worldwide on Twitter Wednesday, as his arrest sparked outrage from conservatives and free-speech activists across the globe. The day after his arrest on May 25, protests erupted around the world. (RELATED: ‘Free Tommy Robinson’ Rally Draws Trump Supporters)
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested for recording outside a court, reporting on a trial involving a gang of four Muslim men accused of grooming and raping a teenaged girl.
He was barred from reporting on the case under his prohibition after a previous contempt of court charge in 2017 and was charge with contempt of court again on May 25. The judge in the most recent contempt of court charge barred British media from reporting on Robinson for five days after his conviction. He was sentenced to 13 months in prison.
While he was serving his first two months in prison, before being released, Robinson’s supporters worried Muslims would hurt or try to kill him, given his strict stance on immigration from Muslim-majority countries. (RELATED: Imprisoned British Activist Fears Muslims Will Kill Him For His Immigration Stance)
Robinson Facebook account posted that he “had a family holiday booked and paid for this Friday which he can now go on and spend some much-needed time with his wife and children.”
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