TOMMY Robinson has been arrested in Canada on suspicion of an immigration offence after giving a speech.
The far right-wing figure was held on Monday before being released, having been ordered to stay in the country and hand in his passport, he said.
Footage posted online showed him being handcuffed and led to the back of a waiting car.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, announced his arrest on X, formerly Twitter.
He said: “None of this makes sense, I’m now detained in Calgary, prevented from leaving the city, these conditions stop me from continuing my tour of Canada and meeting with guests for podcasts.
“I’m not even allowed to leave to travel home.”
The 41-year-old had been booked to speak in three Canadian cities by an outlet called Rebel News.
Ezra Levant from Rebel News made appeals on X for donations to cover Robinson’s legal fees.
Video shows Robinson asking an officer: “What have I got a warrant out for?”
They reply: ‘You’ve got an outstanding immigration warrant, we’ll talk about it in the vehicle.’
Robinson is led away by two plainclothes officers and a group of cops in uniform
He says: “Get me a lawyer.”
He is then put in the car and driven away – before he appears to have later been released.
Posting on X, Robinson said: “OK I’m free, well sort of. None of this makes sense, I’m now detained in Calgary, prevented from leaving the city.
“These conditions stop me from continuing my tour of Canada and meeting with guests for podcasts. I’m not even allowed to leave to travel home.”
He had been speaking at an event called “An Evening with Tommy Robinson”.
Tickets were £29 – with a VIP package including a “meet and greet” with him for £144.
He had also been due to speak tonight in Edmonton – and then was due to speak on Sunday in Toronto.
Robinson is a former member of the British National Party (BNP) and the co-founder of the English Defence League (EDL).
Levant, who was accompanying Robinson, said: “Tommy Robinson had just given a major speech to about 150 Calgarians about freedom of speech, lawfare and his battles in the UK.
“No sooner had he finished that speech and walked outside than he was swarmed by 10 police officers who put him in the back of one of three police vehicles and drove him off.
“We asked what the charge was, but the police refused to say.”
TOMMY Robinson is a far-right campaigner known for his strong anti-Islam views.
He co-founded the English Defence League (EDL), was a member of the British National Party (BNP), and served as an advisor to former UKIP leader Gerard Batten.
The activist was born in Luton – and claims he formed the EDL after reading about the Taliban attempting to recruit members from his home town.
Since founding the organisation in 2009, Robinson has been a prominent figure on the fringes of British politics.
He left the EDL in 2013.
Robinson went on to run as an independent candidate in the European Parliament election in 2019.
He finished eighth with just 2.2 per cent of the vote.
The activist later claimed he had joined the Conservative Party – but this was later denied by the Tories.
Robinson has served four prison terms between 2005 and 2019.
