Petr Bystron, a Member of the European Parliament, said that Tommy Robinson’s treatment under anti-terror laws demonstrates political overreach in the UK. He criticized the decision to pursue a terrorism-related case over what he described as minor conduct. The statement was made on X.
“100% Orwell: Tommy Robinson is branded a terrorist in court,” said Bystron. “What had Robinson done wrong? According to the statement of the police officer who was partly responsible for the arrest, it seemed “suspicious” to him that Robinson was driving such an expensive car. According to Reuters, he was on the road in a Bentley. THAT is enough in Starmer’s England for a Terror Trial!”
Tommy Robinson, legally known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is facing trial for refusing to provide his phone PIN after being stopped under Schedule 7 counterterrorism powers at the Channel Tunnel in July 2024. According to The Guardian, police argued they reasonably suspected his device contained terrorism-related material, while his defense claimed the stop was politically motivated. The verdict is expected in late 2025, highlighting the UK’s use of anti-terror laws in sensitive cases.
According to Counter Terrorism Policing and official Home Office data, there were 248 terrorism-related arrests in the UK during 2024—the highest total since 2019. The figures show that Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act allows officers to question individuals and compel device access at borders, reflecting the government’s broad interpretation of “terrorism-related” activity.
Civil liberties groups argue that the UK’s Schedule 7 powers have been applied in non-violent or political contexts. Liberty states these laws allow suspicion-less border stops, questioning, and device searches, raising concerns that anti-terror legislation is being used beyond its intended scope and undermining free expression.
Bystron is a German member of the European Parliament representing the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party. According to his official European Parliament biography, he sits on the Committees for Foreign Affairs, Internal Market, and Employment and has publicly advocated for sovereignty, civil liberties, and reduced EU regulatory control.
The European Parliament is the EU’s directly elected legislative body composed of 720 members and organized into political groups and policy committees. According to the European Union’s official overview, it shares lawmaking powers with the Council and its LIBE Committee leads on civil liberties, human rights, and oversight of counterterror policies.
