Tommy Robinson supporters attack journalists and shout ‘hang the judge’ after he is jailed for contempt of court

Reuters

• Supporters of far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — known as Tommy Robinson — were filmed attacking journalists and hurling abuse at police on Thursday afternoon. 
• There were a number of arrests outside the UK parliament, after Yaxley-Lennon was sentenced for contempt of court.
• There were shouts of "hang the judge," "paedo protectors," and "we want Tommy out."
• Visit Business Insider’s home page for more stories.

Supporters of the far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — known as Tommy Robinson — attacked journalists and hurled abuse at police outside the United Kingdom parliament on Thursday.

Dozens of his supporters protested in central London, after he was imprisoned for nine months for contempt of court.

There were scuffles with the police as his supporters blocked the gates to parliament and shouted "paedo protectors" and "we want Tommy out."

They then went onto nearby College Green where they were filmed intimidating broadcasters who use the space to report on Westminster politics.

There were shouts of "scum" as journalists were spat on, assaulted, and their equipment damaged by supporters of Yaxley-Lennon, with one man filmed hitting a journalist with a tripod.

There were a number of arrests as Yaxley-Lennon’s supporters shouted "hang the judge" at police.

Watch Tommy Robinson supporters attack journalists

Yaxley-Lennon was sentenced on Thursday by two Old Bailey judges, who ruled that his Facebook Live video of defendants in the trial of a sexual grooming gang in 2018 had encouraged "vigilante action."

In a written verdict they found that he had created "a real risk that the course of justice would be seriously impeded."

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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Adam Bienkov)