‘Insufficient evidence’ to charge Tommy Robinson
Tommy Robinson walked free from court today after it was decided there was "insufficient evidence" to charge him.
The Former English Defence League (EDL) leader, 30, was standing trial with his deputy, Kevin Carroll, 44, under a charge of obstructing police officers.
The pair had allegedly organised a march past a mosque to the scene of Lee Rigby's murder in Woolwich.
They were accused of defying a police ban on marches to Woolwich Barracks via the East London Mosque in the aftermath of the murder in Woolwich.
The events took place at a time of heightened community tension, with immediate EDL demonstrations in the area in the wake of the murder.
Both men pleaded not guilty. They claimed they were on a charity walk with the intention of laying flowers where Rigby was killed.
The Met police said they had offered two alternate routes for the march which avoided Tower Hamlets, home of the East London Mosque.
They had imposed two notices under the Public Order Act based on "current community tensions, the current intelligence picture about Saturday and recent marches and protests held by similar groups".
Speaking to reporters outside the court, Robinson said he was now free to return to Tower Hamlets but was unsure if he would do so.
The trial came just days after Robinson left the EDL group in a move seemingly intended to precipitate a more mainstream political campaign.
Asked about the fear which he created in Muslim communities with his fiery rhetoric and marches in Muslim areas, Robinson answered: " ‘I apologise for [creating] that fear but there's fear in my house too."
