EDL Leader Tommy Robinson, imprisoned on charges of using someone else’s passport to enter the...
EDL Leader Tommy Robinson, imprisoned on charges of using someone else’s passport to enter the United States, is to be moved to Wayland Prison near Thetford in Norfolk.
To help Tommy you can send a copy of this open letter to the prison governor and/or your local MP.
The prison governors name and contact address can be found below.....
Mr Kevin Reilly
Wayland Prison
Griston
Thetford
Norfolk
IP25 6RL
Dear Mr Reilly,
I write to you regarding the present situation of Mr Stephen Lennon, otherwise known as Tommy Robinson of the English Defence League (EDL), who is soon to arrive at Wayland.
I am sure you will agree that whatever you may think of Stephen Lennon’s beliefs and the cause that he has dedicated himself to, he deserves to be treated fairly and in the same manner as any other prisoner.
Unfortunately, what we hear of his treatment at Wandsworth prison has included his being:
•Kept in segregation for 15 weeks, supposedly for his own protection
•Refused any access to the prison gym
•Subjected to a stricter regime than troublesome inmates
It is our suspicion that this mistreatment is politically motivated, and that his punishment is being made disproportionately harsh, maybe as a warning to others associated with our cause, or perhaps out of sheer vindictiveness. Whatever the true motivation, the extended period of time that he has spent in solitary confinementappears to be completely unnecessary and we have serious concerns about the impact that any continued period of isolation could have on his mental health.
In fact, The European Court of Human Rights notes that“complete sensory isolation coupled with complete social isolation can no doubt destroy the personality.” It is difficult to imagine whose interest something like this could possibly serve. Stephen Lennon will not allow himself to be broken by the system, but that does not mean that he deserves to be mistreated.
As a result, we were in the process of organising another demonstration outside of Wandsworth Prison to highlight his mistreatment and warn how victimising vocal critics of radical Islam can damage community relations and suppress-much needed criticism of the growth of Islamic extremism. We will certainly relocate our efforts to Wayland prison if Stephen Lennon finds himself subjected to an equally unfair regime.
Contrary to some press reports, equality under the law is a principle that we in the EDL passionately believe in and which we will continue to promote. In this instance, we believe that any suspicion that Stephen Lennon is being treated differently to other inmates could do enormous damage to the belief that in this country all are considered equal under the law and are to be treated accordingly.
The erosion of this belief is something that we should all fear, because if we can’t count on equality under the law then we will end up with little more than a two tier system, where the favoured are treated leniently and the ‘politically inconvenient’ (or those who have been effectively demonised) are treated with contempt. My worry is that contempt of individuals could soon become, or at least appear to become, contempt for due process. And if that happens then we will find ourselves with a genuinely divided country.
The EDL wish to defend Britain (and its justice system) from an ideology that we believe is a threat to the rights and freedoms that our country has always done so much to safeguard. Hopefully you can appreciate that this is a laudable goal, regardless of whether you happen to agree with our assessment of Islamic extremism or the means by which we work to bring it to people’s attention.
Even if you cannot, I hope that you are at least willing to resist any pressure you may be under to treat Stephen Lennon with less respect than you would any other inmate, regardless of their crime.
Yours faithfully,
The English Defence League
How You Can Help
If you would like to help ensure that Tommy is treated with some level of decency, please alert your local MP to his continued plight. You can find your MP’s contact details by clicking here and entering your post code. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have much to say - just sending them a link to this article will help raise awareness. And the more people who are aware, the more difficult it will be for those who wish to see Tommy face continued mistreatment.