[Redacted] Arrested for [Redacted] Outside [Redacted]: Leeds Crown Court Issues Media Ban

26 May 2018

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AP IMAGES

The Leeds Crown Court has issued a UK media ban following the arrest of well-known activist and citizen journalist [redacted] outside [redacted].

The reporting restriction, which requires on all publications within the United Kingdom to cease any mention of the details of the arrest or court proceedings of [redacted], was issued Friday afternoon:

Redacted

Shortly after the issuance of the press ban on the case, several media outlets, including Breitbart London, the Mirror, the Daily Record, Birmingham Mail, and the Russian state broadcaster Russia Today, complied with the restriction and removed articles concerning [redacted]’s case.

Several other media outlets have kept their coverage of the arrest and the subsequent court details up, despite potentially falling foul of the court-issued ban which is to be lifted following the conclusion of a separate case.

The media ban, along with [redacted]’s arrest has sparked a wave of controversy on social media with many criticising the arrest and the court proceedings that followed it.

Supporters of [redacted] have called for a mass protest in front of number 10 Downing street with the hashtag [redacted].

Youtuber Count Dankula Crowdfunding to Appeal Conviction for ‘Sh*tposting’ https://t.co/bnpDRpZIpy

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 25, 2018

The arrest comes after [redacted] had been involved with a new free speech movement in the United Kingdom following several cases, including the arrest and prosecution of YouTube personality Mark Meechan, known by his online persona Count Dankula.

Meechan was arrested for hate speech after he taught his girlfriend’s pug dog how to perform a Hitler salute on command when he uttered a specific phrase. He was later found guilty of causing gross offence by a Scottish court in April and ordered to pay a penalty of £800.

Since the sentencing, Meechan has refused to pay the £800 fine, donating the money to a children’s hospital instead, and said he will appeal the court’s guilty ruling. Within 24 hours he was able to raise over $100,000 for his future legal fees.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3987037&forum_id=2#36131489)

Why was Tommy Robinson jailed?

Robinson, or Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed because he was found in contempt of court - an offence he was already serving a suspended sentence for.

A judge sentenced him to three months imprisonment suspended for 18 months last May, after he was found in contempt of court over a case in Canterbury.

He was warned that committing further offences would result in imprisonment - and that is what happened on Friday.

Robinson was arrested after filming himself via Facebook Live outside the court.

Eventually, the 35-year-old was arrested on suspicion of a breach of the peace and was held in the court cells before being taken up to the courtroom to face the trial judge.

In a rare move, he was arrested, charged and sentenced within five hours. The video footage was played to Judge Geoffrey Marson QC as Robinson sat in the dock.

Contempt of Court legislation largely applies to media publications - but as Tommy Robinson was broadcasting live on Facebook to the 778,280 people who like his page, and his 848,100 followers - he can be deemed a publisher in his own right.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC told him: “I respect everyone’s right to free speech. That’s one of the most important rights that we have.

“With those rights come responsibilities. The responsibility to exercise that freedom of speech within the law.

“I am not sure you appreciate the potential consequence of what you have done."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3987037&forum_id=2#36150164)