In the run up to his rally, Tommy Robinson and his friends at Rebel News couldn’t resist a final grift before the big day. As opposed to the usual pleas for donations, or Robinson’s recent endeavours as a ‘personal mentor’ charging £28 per minute, he has taken to speaking at getaways for his richest followers, hosted by Rebel News. The highlight of the trip? Attending Tommy’s Unite the Kingdom Free Speech Festival on Saturday 13th of September.
50 of Rebel News’ most ‘devoted’ followers are paying up to £4,099 for what looks like the worst school trip ever, complete with museums, a ‘tourbus’ (coach) and allocated leisure time. This whacking great price promises a double occupancy room from Wednesday evening until Monday morning, including dinner with Tommy himself.
For single occupancy, the price is still eye-watering, at £2,709. For those who can only afford to hand over a grand, followers can join the day activities and dinners without accommodation for £999. These extreme prices do not include flights, airport transfers or alcohol.
The itinerary includes special guest speakers, including “free speech warriors” and “whistleblowers”, some of which are unfortunately during meal times. Rebel News promises “insider access” to “private briefings”, as well as a trip to the English countryside.
All of these activities are promised to be in the company of Rebel News’ three musketeers: Ezra Levant, Avi Yemini and Alexa Lavoie. Levant has been chasing Tommy from courtroom to courtroom across the UK since 2018, piloting many of his legal fundraising appeals. Lavoie is the French correspondent for Rebel News Media.
Avi Yemini is the Australian Rebel News correspondent. In 2022, Yemini was denied entry to New Zealand to attend a protest on the grounds that he did not meet the immigration requirements due to his domestic abuse conviction. This was after in 2019, Yemini was convicted of assault when he threw a chopping board at his ex-wife’s head. As usual, Robinson’s concern for women’s safety is set aside when he rubs shoulders with a convicted domestic abuser.
Other attendees – who we are assuming classify as ‘special guests’ – include David Atherton, a veteran of the movement who has been involved in UKIP and Breitbart news in the past. Recently, he has become a familiar face at anti-migrant protests in London and Essex.
Rushkan Fernando, another far-right journalist, is also present. In another layer of grifting, Rebel News had a fund raiser to fly Fernando and Yemini out from Australia to London. Why they could not pay for their own tickets out of the thousands being made off attendees is a mystery.
Fernando and Yemini have also met with Liam Tuffs while in London, another long term Robinson ally and host of ‘The Dozen’ podcast, where he platforms many far-right figures. He has spoken at multiple of Tommy Robinson’s rallies, spanning back to 2018.
Attendees have also been promised to meet Carl Benjamin, aka ‘Sargon of Akkad’, the founder of the Lotus Eaters podcast. Benjamin is notorious misogynist, having once said that he “wouldn’t even rape” Labour MP Jess Phillips. He has also had social media bans for using racial slurs. Seeing attendees excited to meet him is concerning, and a symptom of a movement which is hypocritical in it’s claims to protect women.
This is not the first time that Rebel News have attempted to rinse their followers financially by marketing holidays. In 2017, they planned a Caribbean Cruise which cost attendees up to £2,075 for a room with a balcony. The trip was due to take place on a ship owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. However, after a HOPE not hate campaign, Norwegian Cruise Line cancelled the trip.
For a man who claims to be so against the ‘elite’, Robinson is very comfortable with reserving special treatment to his richest followers. Furthermore, for a man who claims to be a pioneer in protecting women, he is happy to platform a seasoned misogynist and a convicted abuser.
It is shameful for Rebel News to proudly take so much money from their followers for what is ultimately a promotion tour for Robinson’s rally.
Prefer to listen? Click the play button to hear the audio version. Harry Shukman Reform UK is staffed by oddballs and enigmas, but none odder…
