Who is Tommy Robinson and why does Elon Musk want him freed from jail?

A convicted fraudster with a violent criminal record, Tommy Robinson has become the latest cause championed by the richest person on the planet, Elon Musk.

LONDON —A convicted fraudster with a violent criminal record, Tommy Robinson is well known as the leader of the English far right, inspiring rallies of mostly white, mostly male followers shouting soccer-style chants against Islam and immigration.

It has been jarring then, for many Britons to see Robinson — whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — become the latest cause championed by the richest person on the planet, Elon Musk.

“Free Tommy Robinson!” the billionaire entrepreneur and adviser to President-elect Donald Trump posted to his X social media network Thursday.

Robinson, 42, is serving an 18-month jail sentence for contempt of court, a charge stemming from a libelous video in which he falsely claimed a Syrian refugee teenager was a violent thug. 

Widely disliked in Britain, Robinson’s 19% popularity rating is even lower than Musk’s at 26%, according to the latest findings published in October by YouGov, a British polling company.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/tommy-robinson-elon-musk-want-freed-jail-rcna186084

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