Truly support
independent journalism
Our mission is to provide unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds the powerful to account and exposes the truth.
Whether it's $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us in offering journalism without agenda.
As violence rages across the UK amid a series of far-right riots, Amazon has come under fire for allowing Tommy Robinson clothing to be sold on its platform.
While political leaders call for calm, The Independent has found a number of items in support of the far-right leader, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, that are available for less than £20.
T-shirts bearing the slogan “#FreeTommy” alongside an image of Robinson’s face with the words “Free Speech” over his mouth are selling for £17.99, in a variety of colours and for men and women. Crew neck, V-neck and baseball tee versions are available.
Searches for articles related to the English Defence League return no results, suggesting they are not available on the site.
The founder of the English Defence League is currently on holiday in Cyprus, where gym selfies have helped track him down to a resort that charges £400 a night.
The anti-Islam activist has been accused of fomenting far-right riots across the UK from outside the country while holed up in the Mediterranean Hotel. Violent racist and Islamophobic attacks have been filmed on footage shared on social media, and Muslim cemeteries have been desecrated in Burnley, Lancashire.
The Independent has contacted Amazon for comment.
Among the other supporters of leaders accused of spreading anti-immigrant rhetoric is Nigel Farage. The Reform Party leader was accused of stoking tensions in a video shared after the Southport killings in which he questioned whether police were “covering up” the truth.
He also claimed that a mass riot in Leeds represented “subcontinent politics”, prompting a backlash from local Labour MPs.
The reform leader and Brexit campaigner has a number of items available in support of him, including T-shirts, life-size cardboard cutouts and mugs.
“Put Farage in charge,” reads one T-shirt with the MP’s face emblazoned over a Union Jack flag. Another reads: “Make Britain great again.”
Farage and Robinson have denied inciting hatred or unrest, with Robinson imploring his supporters to be “peaceful” while insisting they are on the “brink of something massive”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has issued a stark warning to far-right racist thugs rioting in British cities and towns, with a “guarantee” that they will face swift justice and “the full force of the law”.
In a statement to the nation, the Prime Minister told those behind the scenes in Hull, Halifax, Liverpool, London, Southport and Rotherham: “I guarantee you will regret it.”
Stand Up to Racism has strongly condemned a “dangerous and violent minority” for attempting to “create a moral panic around immigration” and “destabilise the country” following the election of the new Labour government.