Far-Right leader loses libel case brought by refugee

Tommy Robinson has lost a libel case brought against him by a Syrian schoolboy who was filmed being attacked at school. The English Defence League founder linked with far-Right extremism, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has been ordered to pay £100,000 (NZ$200,000) in damages to the schoolboy, Jamal Hijazi. The 18-year-old was filmed being attacked in the playground at Almondbury School in Huddersfield in November 2018. Shortly after the video of the incident went viral, Robinson claimed in two Facebook videos that Jamal was ‘‘not innocent and he violently attacks young English girls in his school’’. In the clips viewed by nearly one million people, the 38-year-old also claimed Jamal ‘‘beat a girl black and blue’’ and ‘‘threatened to stab’’ another boy at his school, allegations the teenager denies.