Tommy Robinson’s November speech to the Oxford Union is now available to watch on YouTube. The frustration he expresses (around 37:40) emerges from feeling that he has been accused of extremism, even Nazism, by people who won’t listen to what he has to say. I felt some frustration too – this stems from what I see as inconsistencies in his approach. Sometimes he does just seem bigoted (even since leaving the EDL) and sometimes – as in the Oxford speech, and in this very interesting interview with Matt Hill – more reasonable and nuanced. Even within this latest speech (if one includes the various clips he showed) there is a lack of clarity as to whether he is against all Islam or only certain interpretations of the religion. I’m sure some would accuse him of hiding racism and bigotry behind a comparatively reasonable veneer, but I’d prefer to be convinced that his more measured stance is closer to his (considered) views.
As I explained in this post from November, Tommy Robinson had to adjust his planned speech due to warnings from the police that he was in danger of breaking the conditions of his parole. He ended up offering a personal account of the experiences and events which led up to the founding of the EDL, as well as of subsequent clashes with authority and the media where he felt the EDL had been treated unfairly.
In his speech he more than once (2:10, 9:40), makes it clear that he doesn’t mean to criticise all Muslims, only certain elements in Muslim communities, and it’s not hard to agree with him about the hateful extremist views on display in various clips he included in his talk. He spoke very passionately about his perception of double standards against those opposing Muslim extremists and of the tensions he experienced as a youth growing up in Luton, including his experiences of racism and bigotry against the white, non-Muslim community.
While trying to explain just why people set up the EDL, in frustration at having their anxieties brushed aside, he conceded that there were problems with Nazis latching on to the movement. Although it’s true, as he argues, that some EDL members always opposed these more extreme far right elements, it’s hard to argue that these were a trivial problem – see this clip for example. (It is also true, as Robinson asserts, that the far left/Muslim opposition to the EDL had problems of its own.)
Another frustration, for me, was that the video did not include the Q and A which followed. Ideally I would have liked to see Tommy Robinson being challenged on some of his more dubious statements and reasserting (I hope) his condemnation of racism and anti-Muslim bigotry. However I would have liked to see him being supported in some other areas – such as his condemnation of Luton Imam Qadeer Baksh (59:00) – because he’s completely correct on that issue. I agree with him when he insists that those who protest against Muslim extremists shouldn’t be condemned as far right or fascist (57:00).
But … It’s not that I want to see Tommy Robinson transformed into something he clearly isn’t (I’m resigned to not hearing that he’s joined the Labour Party any time soon, or become an enthusiastic fan of Hope not Hate) – I’d just like to see him consistently maintain the more measured stance on Islam he characteristically adopts in more formal settings (103:20). I don’t think doing so would involve compromising any of his most strongly held positions.
