The controversial Tommy Robinson debate at the prestigious Oxford Union on “suspicions towards Islam” is at risk of being cancelled due to an alleged hefty £80,000 charge from Thames Valley Police for security at the event.
The debate is scheduled to take place at the prestigious Oxford Union on May 28, just before the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha. Other reports suggest it may take place on June 1.
The invitation of far-right Islamophobe and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson as one of the main speakers arguing in favour of the motion “This House believes the West is right to be suspicious of Islam” has caused significant controversy online and within the university.
Robinson received the invitation from the Union, which is currently being led by a Muslim of Palestinian origin, Arwa Elrayess.
Following the backlash that erupted online and within the University of Oxford over why an individual like Robinson was invited in the first place, the debate may not go ahead due to financial constraints, although he has offered to pay for security for the event.
Security costs
Thames Valley Police have quoted the Union £80,000 to provide security for the event, as heavy counter-protests are expected to take place outside over Robinson’s attendance.
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Despite the anticipated protests, some have chosen to interpret the hefty security bill as an attempt by Thames Valley Police to suppress the event, knowing that the Union would be unlikely to afford such a sum.
The Union has reportedly been close to bankruptcy, according to numerous inside sources, and is officially governed by students of the university, receiving no funding from the university body itself.
In a report published in 2025, student newspaper Cherwell stated that the Union had only two years of operating costs remaining at its current rate of operational losses.
The balance sheet for the 2024/25 academic year forecast a loss of over £358,000. The bursar and head of finance said at the time that the society “has two years of operation remaining” until it is “no longer a going concern”.
The Union receives funding from student subscriptions, as well as donations from different donors, including an adviser to a Saudi Arabian minister, who has overseen more than 80% of fundraising for certain key Union initiatives.
Possibility of cancellation
Discussing the security costs on GB News, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is arguing against the motion alongside Muslim speaker and debater Abdullah al-Andalusi, said the police were attempting to suppress free speech by charging an unrealistic figure.
Rees-Mogg also argued that taxpayer money should be used to help Robinson and the Union go ahead with the debate.
Abdullah al-Andalusi has also expressed disagreement with the narrative from Muslims that they shouldn’t platform or debate a far-right figure like Robinson.
“We must break into Western echo chambers to argue the Islamic narrative unapologetically,” al-Andalusi said in a recent YouTube vdeo,
The figure quoted by Thames Valley Police is almost five times the entire budget for Elrayess term as president of the Union.
The debate has caused significant controversy since it was announced, with students at Oxford and members of the Union expressing profound disapproval over Elrayess’s decision to grant Robinson the platform.
Members of the Union and various student bodies have resigned from their positions, as well as issuing statements of condemnation.
Most recently, an open letter with over a hundreds of signatories was published by Oxford Stand Up to Racism, accusing the Union of “helping to boost and legitimise Robinson’s racism and fascism” and calling the invitation “dangerous and negligent of the safety and peace of Oxford’s diverse community”.
The Diocese of Oxford also published a statement signed by Steven Croft and Imam Monawar Hussain, saying that they were “disturbed and saddened” over Robinson’s scheduled appearance
