Tommy Robinson has been arrested in Canada for suspected immigration offences.
A video posted online shows the far-Right activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, being handcuffed by two plain-clothed police officers.
The 41-year-old is told he is the subject of “an outstanding immigration warrant” before being led away.
Police did not immediately offer any clarification on the nature of the warrant.
Robinson was arrested shortly after giving a speech in Calgary, Alberta on Monday. He has since been released but had his passport seized, according to his social media channel.
He wrote online: “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.”
Taken away in handcuffs
A total of 10 police officers, some plain-clothed and others in uniform, are believed to have been involved in the arrest, which happened outside the Carriage House Hotel and Conference Centre.
Robinson had delivered a speech to around 150 people in the first of a three-event tour of Canada organised by Rebel News, a far-Right website.
The video footage showed Robinson being taken away in handcuffs by a team of police as he laughed and described the arrest as “absolutely insane”.
He could be heard asking an officer: “What have I got a warrant out for?” The officer replied: “You’ve got an outstanding immigration warrant, we’ll talk about it in the vehicle.”
![Tommy Robinson was arrested in Canada for suspected immigration offences](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/world-news/2024/06/25/TELEMMGLPICT000383258299_17193053027680_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqG5cDhXcHTK2NcV7xU_rqlRtdO0z3J8oCXroruvFKUM0.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Robinson is a former member of the British National Party and the co-founder of the English Defence League.
In 2012, he pleaded guilty to using a friend’s passport to travel to the United States and was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment.
He is scheduled to speak again in Edmonton on Tuesday evening and in Toronto on Sunday.
Ezra Levant, the Rebel News founder 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.”