Tommy Robinson trial - latest: EDL founder in court after he was arrested at London antisemitism march

Tommy Robinson is on trial today after being arrested when asked to leave a rally against antisemitism in central London.

The English Defence League founder had been asked not to attend by organisers and was told he would not be welcome at the demonstration.

He was arrested by police near the Royal Courts of Justice and charged with failing to comply with a direction to leave an area in Westminster.

During his arrest, officers handcuffed Robinson and pepper-sprayed him.

The 41-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had previously denied the charge of failing to comply with a dispersal order at Westminster Magistrates Court.

The antisemitism march, which took place on 26 November, was the first of its kind since the Israel-Gaza conflict began, with organisers estimating that around 100,000 people were in attendance.

The case, which began on Monday, continues.

Inspector admits wrong date placed on dispersal order

12:04 , Holly Evans

The Met Police inspector who issued the Section 35 dispersal notice for that particular area of Westminster has admitted to the court that the date on the authorisation document is incorrect.

While the order was put in place at 10am on 26 November, the date on the document was incorrectly put as 24 November.

Questioning Insp Parker-Phipps, Tommy Robinson’s defence lawyer Alistair Williamson KC said: “Can we have any confidence that there was a lawful order in place?”

The officer responded: “No sir.”

He stressed that he was dyslexic and told the court: “I take my role very seriously sir and I know the operational learning regarding documents.”

Met Police inspector received ‘intelligence’ of far right groups attending protest

11:40 , Holly Evans

A Metropolitan Police inspector for the Westminster borough has explained his rationale for imposing a Section 35 order under the Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Inspector Steve Parker-Phipps said there had been concerns that a right-wing group could potentially be attending, and that there was an “overarching concern” towards businesses in inner London.

“People were afraid to come to London,” he said. “We had the shopping Christmas period coming up, there was a lot of feedback on the impact on businesses.”

He recalled the events of the Armistice Day in which clashes had occurred in Whitehall after a group of far-right protesters travelled to London to protect the Cenotaph. Several were arrested after clashes with the police, which occurred on the same day that a large pro-Palestine protest was also taking place in west London.

After receiving “intelligence” that a far-right group could be in attendance on 26 November, he said: “I then carefully considered the impact on my businesses based on what had happened the weeks before, the likelihood of violence, I consulted with gold and silver levels and I made the decision to put that order in.”

Tommy Robinson attended protest despite requests from organisers

10:43 , Holly Evans

The court has heard that Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, attended the antisemitism march on 26 November despite it being made clear that his presence was not welcome.

A large area in Westminster was subject to a Section 35 order, which gave the police dispersal powers for anyone who was suspected of causing an issue or nuisance.

“Mr Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, was in the area to which the order applied, near the Royal Courts of Justice, and police were concerned about his presence. This was not a Palestinian protest, it was in support of the jewish community and organisers of the protest had made it quite clear they didn’t want Mr Lennon to attend and that it wouldn’t be helpful but he attended nonetheless,” the prosecutor said.

“The notice required him to leave the area of the Section 35 notice. The crown’s case is that he wouldn’t leave the area, he had to be escorted away by police and during that escorting away he became resistant and was subsequently arrested.”

Robinson pictured arriving at court

10:35 , Sam Rkaina

Founder and former leader of the anti-Islam English Defence League (EDL), Tommy Robinson, pictured arriving at Westminster Magistrates Court.

Trial begins

10:21 , Holly Evans

The trial of Tommy Robinson has begun with the judge entering court and Robinson entering the dock.

Court begins to assemble

10:13 , Holly Evans

Courtroom one at Westminster Magistrates Court has begun to assemble, with a number of reporters and members of the public in the gallery.

Tommy Robinson has appeared wearing a grey checked suit and a light blue shirt.

What is the charge Tommy Robinson is facing?

09:02 , Holly Evans

Far-right figure Tommy Robinson has denied refusing to leave a march against antisemitism.

The 40-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, is accused of failing to comply with a direction to leave an area in Westminster on November 26 of last year.

Robinson was arrested near the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where the demonstration began, after organisers said he would not be welcome at the event.

Robinson denied the charge of one count of failing to comply with a dispersal order.

Welcome to our live coverage

08:59 , Holly Evans

Welcome to our live coverage of Tommy Robinson’s trial after he was arrested while attending an antisemitism march.

We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates here.