EDL founder pulls out of Iceland lecture


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By Sonia Gable

The English Defence League’s co-founder Tommy Robinson, who was scheduled to give a lecture today in Iceland, will not be coming after all, Reykjavic Grapevine reports. The organisers have therefore cancelled the event.

Vakur, a self-described “organisation of European culture”, had invited British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, to Iceland to give a lecture entitled “Multiculturalism in Europe: Problems and Solutions”. Vakur had brought another well-known Islamophobe, Robert Spencer, to Iceland last year.

DV now reports that Robinson unexpectedly cancelled his trip to Iceland on account of a death in the family.

Sigurfreyr Jónasson, a founding member of Vakur and the main organiser of the event, told reporters that Robinson was due to arrive yesterday, but Robinson’s assistant had told him that he blew out a tyre and missed his flight.

Another flight was booked for today, but when Sigurfreyr went to the airport to meet him, Robinson never arrived. After waiting for at least two hours, Sigurfreyr received an email saying that Robinson would not be coming to Iceland on account of a death in the family. So the event was cancelled.

Sources close to the story have told Grapevine that Vakur has incurred some financial losses over the cancellation. There is as yet no word on when or even whether the event will be rescheduled.