October 13, 2021, London- A magistrate court slapped a five-year stalking order on far-right, islamophobic public personality Tommy Robinson on Wednesday after he threatened and abused journalist Lizzie Dearden outside her home. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) lauds the court’s decision to reprimand Robinson for his actions. We rejoice in the knowledge that the journalist’s safety and wellbeing was prioritized and Robinson’s efforts to deter Lizzie from her reportage were thwarted. 

In efforts to quash a story alleging misappropriation of donated funds at the English Defence League, an enraged Robinson, the organization’s founder, reached Lizzie’s south-east London home at around 9.50 PM on January 17, 2021. He hurled abuses at Lizzie and shouted unfounded allegations against her partner, Samuel Partridge,  threatening to make his slanderous claims public.

Fortunately, Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested for the incident after he persisted in shouting abuses outside her home. Neither Lizzie nor her partner engaged with Robinson’s vitriol. They were both extremely shaken and felt unsafe stepping out of their home. After his release, however, Robinson posted two pictures of Partridge online and emailed Lizzie claiming that he has a source who says that Partridge groomed them when they were underaged. 

In a rare decision, the court recognized that Robinson “clearly poses and continues to pose a risk” to Lizzie’s physical and psychological wellbeing and imposed a five year stalking protection order on him. Westminster deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram found Robinson’s allegations that Partridge was a paedophile unsubstantiated and without “a shred of evidence”. The order prevents Robinson from approaching Lizzie and her partner or publishing anything about them online, until and unless he is directly referring to a story published by either. Robinson did not stay in the courtroom long enough to hear the judge’s ruling. 

Ikram said stalking order was “necessary and proportionate” because the acts were “capable of being associated with stalking” and there was an ongoing risk.“What the police say in this case is he has embarked on all of this to persuade her not to publish the story and he sought to do so by the threat of publishing his own allegations about her partner, which it’s said are simply not true.”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the decision of the magistrate court. Tommy Robinson’s actions were not only reprehensible but criminal. Threatening a journalist by causing harm to her reputation or the reputation of her loved ones is a direct attack on the freedom of the press. We extend our solidarity to Lizzie Dearden and hope similar action is taken against perpetrators of violations against journalists everywhere.

“In the current environment, where women journalists are targeted by trolls, politicians, religious fanatics, fashion fanatics, sports fans and everyone in between, the CFWIJ encourages an increased and mindful understanding of the issue by law enforcement, legal system and governments,” said CFWIJ Founding Director Kiran Nazish, lauding the magistrate’s decision. "We liberally welcome deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram's decision to hand Robinson a restraining order. In the growing trends of harassment and targeting of women journalists, particularly by politicians and politically motivated groups, it is of utmost importance that the legal system addresses this issue responsibly. And that's what the magistrate did by re-inducing a sense of accountability for the culprits. In that the court has set an example that we encourage to be heeded and replicated." 

Highlighting increasing polarization of societies and the surge of repressive regimes world over, Kiran noted that “it is a culture of impunity that increases incidents of violence against women in particular”. Such an environment should be quelled in civilized and democratic societies, she stressed. "We share our support for Lizzie Dearden who should note have been stalked and harassed like this. We encourage UK authorities to note this case and take further steps in ensuring that targeting women journalists is discouraged and disbanded in British society."

The CFWIJ is cognizant that it does not take long for verbal vitriol to translate into physical violence, especially when the abuse is propagated by influential public figures with sizable support bases. In this year alone, we have documented multiple cases of targeted violations against women journalists based on rhetoric built by politicians and influential public figures. Despite the frequency of such violations against women journalists and targeted attacks on press freedom and the right to information, most perpetrators go unpunished.

“The perverse targeting of Lizzie that required the employment of a private detective shows the extent to which journalists and their families are singled out for their reporting,” said CFWIJ Journalist Protection Advisor Nik Williams. “This stalking order acknowledged both the escalation of the threat posed by Robinson and the power he holds that could encourage others to act. Hopefully this will act as a marker, dissuading others from following Robinson’s actions and also encouraging journalists to speak out about the abuse they recieve, no one should suffer alone or accept it as part of the job.”

The CFWIJ stands in solidarity with Lizzie Dearden and her partner. We hope that this decision of the Westminster magistrate court sets a precedent for how such violations must be addressed. Journalists' right to safety and right to report must be protected at all costs. A robust and independent press is essential to all democratic regimes. It can only be ensured when all institutions work collectively to protect journalists and fierce journalism.