A worthwhile and well reasoned article from Harry’s Place on Robinson and the EDL….

Tommy Robinson’s disengagement from the EDL is welcome but his next steps are even more important

De-radicalisation rarely occurs with a bang, with an instantaneous “Eureka!” moment of self-awareness. More often, it occurs over a period of time, beginning with much questioning and doubt, followed by a physical disengagement from one’s radical affiliations, followed - in some but not all cases - by a comprehensive re-alignment of one’s values.

Tommy Robinson says he has now renounced the English Defence League (EDL) and, by extension, some of his former associates. This physical disengagement from the group and its members, likely only partial at present, is therefore not the end of a de-radicalisation process but is rather the first small step of a much longer spiritual and intellectual journey.

Although the usual coalition of left-wing columnists, hard-right Islamists and closeted academics have already tried to discredit this development, Robinson’s public resignation from the EDL is a important and humiliating blow to the group, one of the most ‘successful’ far-right street movements in recent British history.