Hundreds of people have signed an open letter urging the Oxford Union to disinvite far-right Islamophobe Tommy Robinson for a debate on “suspicions” towards Islam, with local bishops and imams joining the appeal calling it “untimely and divisive”.
Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is scheduled to debate at the Oxford Union on Thursday, May 28 (although some sources say the date may have been moved to June 1), under the motion: “This House believes the West is right to be suspicious of Islam”.
The open letter, sent by activist group Oxford Stand Up to Racism, accused the Oxford Union of “helping to boost and legitimise Robinson’s racism and fascism” and called the invitation “dangerous and negligent of the safety and peace of Oxford’s diverse community”.
The debate has already been heavily criticised after the Oxford Union’s Muslim Palestinian-origin president, Arwa Elrayess, defended her decision to invite Robinson in the media.
In an interview on GB News, Elrayess explained part of the reasoning behind her decision “Muslims are constantly being scapegoated for issues that arise… So I wanted to have a debate on the motion as to whether any suspicions of Islam are justified.
“When we were thinking of this debate and this motion, we wanted to look for the figures who are the figureheads of these views.
“We couldn’t think of anyone who is more loud and unashamed of those views than Tommy Robinson.”
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Bishop and Imam write letter
Steven Croft and Imam Monawar Hussain have also written a joint letter, released by the Diocese of Oxford, in which they said they are “disturbed and saddened” that such a far-right figure is scheduled to appear at the prestigious union.
Citing the recent attack on a San Diego Islamic centre, the letter said it was a time of “rising tensions between communities”, adding that “the Muslim community is acknowledging a rise in Islamophobia”.
“As faith leaders across Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley, we stand together against hatred, racism and those who would divide our communities.”
They claimed that Robinson’s invitation was “untimely and divisive”.
“We understand the need to protect freedom of speech and the right to protest. But these rights sit alongside the rights of every citizen and their children to go about their daily lives free of hatred and physical danger,” the Bishop and Imam said.
Oxford Stand up to Racism
In the open letter sent by Oxford Stand Up to Racism, Ian McKendrick gave a brief history of Oxford and its anti-far-right stance against Tommy Robinson.
“We have long experience of fascist Yaxley-Lennon and his supporters in Oxford.”
“We blocked him from Oxford town centre when he brought 300 violent, racist thugs from the English Defence League on a hate march against Muslims in 2015.”
The letter continued, criticising Elrayess: “The President of the Oxford Union is helping to undo years of community work blocking the growth of Yaxley-Lennon’s foot soldiers as they have repeatedly sought to build a local fascist group and attack refugees, Muslims, trans people, anti-racist and Palestine solidarity campaigners, and anyone they consider ‘left’.
“This is not about freedom of speech, but about whether a prestigious institution gives a platform to a fascist to spout hate,” they said.
The debate comes just after Robinson held the “Unite the Kingdom” rally in London on May 16, where speakers reportedly spewed uninterrupted Islamophobic rhetoric for five hours straight.
