Student societies condemn reports of Oxford Union invite to Tommy Robinson

Several student societies have condemned reports that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, has been invited to speak at the Oxford Union. Yaxley-Lennon is alleged to have been invited to speak at the Week 5 debate on the motion “This House believes the West is right to be suspicious of Islam”.

In a joint statement posted on Instagram by Oxford Students Against Discrimination and Stand Up To Racism UK, they condemned the invitation “in the strongest possible terms”. They also called on Oxford Union President Arwa Elrayess to confirm that the invitation has been rescinded; “issue a public statement apologising for extending the invitation and promising full transparency with speakers’ events”; and “acknowledge the harm” caused to students by the decision. 

It Happens Here (IHH) raised concerns about the rhetoric used by Yaxley-Lennon, which they described as racialising sexual violence. IHH told Cherwell: “When cases of sexual violence are used to advance anti-Muslim sentiment, the focus is shifted from survivors onto a political agenda…. His presence signals to survivors that their experiences are being instrumentalised, instead of taken seriously.”

In a statement published on Instagram, IHH also joined Oxford Feminist Society, Cuntry Living Zine, Intersectional Uprising Oxford, and Oxford University Women of Colour Society in calling for an immediate withdrawal of the invitation of Yaxley-Lennon. They have demanded “a formal apology and accountable action through new published policy”, and called for “the Union to be transparent about all future speakers”.

A spokesperson for the Oxford African and Caribbean Society (ACS) also criticised the reported invitation. They told Cherwell: “We reject the notion that ‘debate’ requires the inclusion of [such] viewpoints…. Granting Robinson an academic stage at a time of increased far-right activity confers a degree of respectability to ideologies that have historically marginalised our communities.”

In addition, a spokesperson for Oxford Students Amnesty International told Cherwell: “Amnesty International believes in supporting all democratic rights, including freedom of speech and expression. However, Yaxley-Lennon’s history of [criticism] towards Muslims, immigrants and other groups has endangered, and continues to endanger, students at the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University…His presence at the Oxford Union infringes upon the [opportunity] of all students to live and study in an atmosphere of safety and respect.”

The reported invitation comes within the context of longstanding accusations against Yaxley-Lennon of Islamophobia and intimidation. He was a co-founder of the English Defence League in 2009, whose supporters have repeatedly targeted Muslim communities and mosques across the UK. He has also been convicted on multiple occasions, including for contempt of court in 2018 after livestreaming defendants accused of sexual exploitation outside a trial in Leeds, in breach of reporting restrictions. He was jailed for 18 months after admitting to the charge.

Yaxley-Lennon has faced further convictions for assault and harassment, and has been widely criticised for his rhetoric, accused of fuelling anti-Muslim sentiment. His public statements have included describing Muslim refugees to the UK as “fake refugees”, a 2011 threat to “every single Muslim watching….the Islamic community would feel the full force of the English Defence League” if another Islamist terror attack were to take place, and a 2018 admission that he “doesn’t care” if he “incites fear” of the UK’s Muslim community. 

He previously warned members of the press: “If you’re a journalist and you think your office or your home is a safe space…it’s not”, and referred to a female BBC journalist as a “slag” after Yaxley-Lennon was questioned by police over an alleged assault of a man at London St Pancras Station in 2025. Yaxley-Lennon was not charged over the incident.

The Oxford Student Greens told Cherwell that while “a diversity of opinion can be conducive to intellectual debate, there is no space for the kind of inflammatory, hateful rhetoric that these figures promote”. They added that “fearmongering through the persecution of minority groups is a coward’s tactic used by people like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon… to push a political agenda”.

In a statement published on Instagram, the Oxford Labour Club also criticised the invitation, saying it was “disgusted” by the decision, writing that while “free speech is important… that does not mean that Tommy Robinson, a far-right extremist convicted of assault and harassment, should be platformed by the Union”. The statement further accused the Union of choosing publicity instead of taking a stand against the far-right, adding that Yaxley-Lennon “has stirred up racism, xenophobia, and hate”.

Turning Point Oxford defended the Union’s decision on free speech grounds. The President of Turning Point Oxford told Cherwell: “The Oxford Union is well within its right to platform whomever it wants… this would be the perfect opportunity for those who vehemently disagree with Tommy Robinson to put his ideas to the test”. They added that Yaxley-Lennon is “a culturally relevant figure in British politics” and that “the debate is of incredible importance”.

When approached, the Union did not confirm whether Stephen Yaxley-Lennon had been invited. A spokesperson told Cherwell that the committee “works tirelessly to curate a termly programme…[giving] members the opportunity to challenge…a broad range of speakers”, adding that “speakers for this term are still being confirmed”. They added that the Union “only host[s] speakers who agree to be challenged”, and that details of high-profile events are often released later “to mitigate any potential security risks…[which] is not a departure from normal practice”.

The response from across the spectrum of student societies represents extraordinary action, and the spokesperson from Amnesty told Cherwell that they were in touch with other student societies to discuss further action. Oxford Stand Up To Racism have organised a protest to take place outside the Oxford Union on Thursday, 28th May, which has been promoted online by multiple other student societies.