Tommy Robinson, the controversial far-right activist and founder of the English Defence League, was “led to Christ” while serving time in prison, according to Pastor Rikki Doolan.
Speaking exclusively to Premier, Pastor Doolan revealed that during a prison visit, Robinson made a personal decision to follow Jesus Christ.
“While Tommy was in prison, he was incarcerated for seven months and held in solitary confinement. Three weeks before his release, I went to visit him in prison,” Pastor Doolan told Premier Christian Radio.
“I know he took a Bible into prison, and he was also being visited by the prison chaplain three times a week. I had a two-hour visit, we spoke about the gospel, and he received Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, right there in the prison.”
Robinson was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October 2024 after admitting contempt of court for repeating false claims against a Syrian refugee.
Doolan said that when Robinson left prison in May this year after getting early release, he was seen wearing a cross and has since spoken openly about his faith, including on the PBD podcast.
“For any Christian wondering why it was important for me to be connected to Tommy Robinson, I think that answer is there,” he said.
However, questions remain about how this new profession of faith translates into Robinson’s public life.
Dr. Krish Kandiah, head of the refugee charity Sanctuary Foundation, watched Saturday’s Unite the Kingdom rally led by Robinson and raised concerns about some of the voices given a platform at the event.
“I was nervous about what I heard from the stage,” Dr. Kandiah said. “We had Elon Musk, who’s not British—he’s a kind of rogue billionaire—calling for the dissolution of Parliament. He talked about violence that was coming, and he said, ‘You’ve got a choice: either fight back or you die.’ That sounds like an incitement to violence.
“He also had a French man, Eric Zemmour. He talked about the great replacement of our European peoples by peoples from the south, again stirring up fear and anxiety about people coming from other countries, particularly the Southern Hemisphere.
“By those standards, Jesus wouldn’t make the cut because Jesus was from the south. He was a Middle Eastern man born in Bethlehem. As we well remember, Bethlehem is a Palestinian area, so I struggle.”
Ahead of the rally, the Diocese of London raised concerns about the anti-Christian rhetoric that would be displayed.
It said in a statement: “We affirm that freedom of speech is a vital democratic right, and at the same time pray for a nation where that freedom is exercised not to deepen fear or exclusion, but to foster compassion and unity. Every day, in our churches and on our streets, we see a very different city from the one that the marchers portray—one where people from all cultures, religions, beliefs, and classes can work, worship, and live together. We take pride in a city that welcomes everyone. Now and always, we reject intolerance and division in the utmost terms.”
