Appeals for calm after Tommy Robinson visits Barrow amid protests

The family of a 19-year-old woman accused of lying about being groomed and abused in a Cumbrian town have appealed for calm after the far-right activist Tommy Robinson turned up claiming to be a journalist investigating the case.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, ignored pleas from woman’s family to stay away from Barrow-in-Furness, where she was remanded in custody last week on charges of perverting the course of justice.

Graphic social media posts in the woman’s name went viral last week, detailing alleged abuse at the hands of a grooming gang of Asian men in the north of England, centred in Barrow. Protests were held over the weekend to support her, with many locals angry that she had been locked up after reporting horrific abuse.

Cumbria police insist they conducted a year-long investigation alongside the National Crime Agency and found “no evidence” of Asian sex grooming gangs in the town. The woman will stand trial on seven counts of perverting the course of justice later this year.

In a statement given to the Mail, Barrow’s local newspaper, a member of the girl’s family said: “We have heard rumours that Tommy Robinson is in town. We want to make it clear that this has nothing to do with us and we do not want him involved … We are a peaceful family who condemns any form of racial hatred. We are appealing for calm from the good people of Barrow.”

Over the weekend the chief reporter at the Mail, Amy Fenton, said she was under police protection after receiving death threats, including one that read: “Slit Amy Fenton’s throat while saying Islamic prayers for her.”

Simon Fell, the Conservative MP for Barrow, said Robinson had not come to help. “He’s stirring up tensions. The family made clear he wasn’t welcome here. We rejected him last year when he turned up wanting to be an MEP and we should do the same now. If you do want to help, you need to bring evidence to the police.”

Robinson was stopped by Cumbria police on the main road into Barrow on Monday afternoon, two days after he released a video denying he had plans to visit the town.

His team circulated a video of him telling a female officer that he had travelled from Luton to do “essential work” as a journalist. “My job is essential, which means our travel is essential innit,” he said. He explained he had not driven himself because he had 18 points on his driving licence and “didn’t really believe” in Covid-19.

Frank Cassidy, a local Labour councillor, said he had seen Robinson arrive in a convoy of 16 or 17 vehicles, beeping their horns and flashing their lights. He accused Robinson of stirring up trouble, saying: “The journalism thing is a masquerade, of course. He was there to point the finger at the Asian community and incite race hatred against Muslims.

“Our thoughts are with [the woman] and her family, and they have taken the right decision to have no truck with Tommy Robinson and his supporters. This is a very delicate situation and it’s very disappointing to see Robinson and rightwing elements use the situation to attack the Asian community. I would appeal for calm at this current time.”

One local resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I really don’t know what to think, I’m just very afraid of the racist attacks that are bound to happen to innocent people and that coronavirus is going to spike again due to all the close contact and handshaking at these protests.”

Mandy Penellum, the secretary of Barrow Trades Union Council, said: “There is a serious question about why ‘Robinson’ and others have been allowed to travel from far afield, during the coronavirus lockdown.”