Tommy Robinson shouted ‘come at me then’ at an older man he was arguing with at St Pancras station before punching him so hard it knocked him out, a shocked witness claimed today.
The hard-right political activist, 42, is at the centre of a police manhunt after fleeing Britain amid an investigation into an alleged assault on a man at the central London station on Monday night.
Robinson’s flight out of Britain came just hours after footage circulated online showing him pacing back and forth beside the unresponsive man lying face-down on the station concourse.
The video does not show how the man ended up on a floor, but the person who filmed the aftermath has revealed what happened in the seconds before.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, he said he was on his way to a train platform when he ‘heard a loud commotion and arguing’.
‘As soon as I reached the top of the escalator I saw Tommy Robinson and an older man facing off and standing very close to each other,’ he recalled.
‘I heard Tommy say, “Come at me then” and then bam he punched the old man so hard that he was knocked out. It seemed very serious as the man wasn’t moving afterward.’
Paramedics rushed to the scene at around 8.40pm last night and the alleged victim was taken to a major trauma centre with ‘serious injuries’.
In footage shared widely online, Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – appeared to be walking in the background as security were called to help the unconscious man.
Tommy Robinson walks past a man who appears to have been knocked unconscious at St Pancras yesterday evening
Startling footage circulating online shows the former EDL leader – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – pacing back and forth beside an unresponsive man
Robinson posted a video to his X account at 4.09pm on Monday, claiming he was in London preparing for what he called ‘the biggest free speech event the world has ever seen’
In another video, posted at 5.09pm on Monday – hours before the scuffle – Robinson had a cut on his forehead. He said he had a ‘fight with a door’
Police at the scene where a man was found lying unconscious inside St Pancras station last night
A curtain was put up around the scene as forensic officers investigated the incident
As stunned bystanders watched on, one Good Samaritan could be heard urgently shouting: ‘Can we get some help over here!’
But Robinson, visibly agitated, threw his arms in the air before turning and walking away down a staircase, repeatedly protesting his innocence. ‘He f***ing came at me, bruv,’ he yelled. ‘He come at me bruv, you saw that.’
The witness said he did not know the alleged victim but that he was not wearing ‘any mask or covering on his face before he got punched’.
Footage appears to show something on the man’s head, but the witness believes it could be his clothes or bag.
‘I hope the old man is OK, there were plenty of CCTV cameras in the area so hopefully police can review the footage,’ he added.
Robinson had earlier posted footage of himself handing out flyers inside the station for an upcoming ‘free speech’ protest on September 13.
The English Defence League founder remained active on social media while abroad today, responding to a post about him leaving the country with a picture of a dog wearing sunglasses. He also reposted a tweet which claimed he acted in self-defence.
‘It’s never good or acceptable to physically assault someone over their political views, the tweet said. ‘But lets looks at the context.
‘Tommy Robinson has been politically active and a well known figure for years. There’s countless video’s of people debating him, threatening him etc.
‘Shout and scream at him all you want, disagree with his views, debate him, argue with him… He’s not gonna punch or attack you. I’ve argued with him loads over the years and… guess what… never been attacked by him!
‘But there has to be a limit point and a boundary that’s in place, and that applies to anyone. We should all be safe in our personal space.
‘If you cross a line and attack someone physically, or threaten to attack them physically, then you can’t expect any response other than a strong one.
‘A pre-emptive strike is totally legal. To me it looks pretty clear. Tommy Robinson – controversial or not – was going about his business. Someone tried to attack him, and they came off worse.
‘I hope they’re ok and make a full recovery, but if you start a physical fight with someone – especially someone who won’t hesitate to protect themselves – you have to be willing to lose.’
A second tweet he reposted said: ‘If you approach someone with hostility, a man that receives death threats daily, expect to get a clip round the ear hole.’
A spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP) told the Daily Mail today: ‘Following a report of an assault at St Pancras station last night (July 28), officers have confirmed that the suspect, a 42-year-old man from Bedfordshire, boarded a flight out of the country in the early hours of this morning.
‘Detectives are continuing to work closely to progress the investigation and bring him into custody for questioning.’
Last year, the Daily Mail revealed how Robinson was stoking far-right race riots across Britain from a sun lounger at a five-star hotel in Cyprus.
He posted a constant stream of inflammatory social media posts from Ayia Napa while there was an arrest warrant was issued against him. He claimed he was on a family holiday and had not gone on the run.
Robinson has been active on his X account today, reposting a tweet which claimed he acted in self-defence
A protest organised under the name ‘Stop the Isolation’ or ‘Unite the Kingdom’, in support of Robinson started outside Waterloo station
A supporter of Tommy Robinson wears a flag picturing him on his back
Robinson after his release from Woodhill prison in Milton Keynes in May
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said of last night’s incident: ‘We were called at 8.40pm on Monday July 28 to reports of an assault at St Pancras International Rail Station, NW1.
‘We sent an ambulance crew to the scene and treated a man before taking him to a major trauma centre.’
In videos posted to his X account earlier in the day, Robinson had a cut on his forehead which he claimed was from a ‘fight with a door’.
He said he was in London preparing for what he called ‘the biggest free speech event the world has ever seen’.
In one clip, Robinson said: ‘Today we have walked the route of our event on September 13, where we will be meeting at Waterloo Station.’
He added: ‘Make your plans. We are having a festival of fun, of British identity, of celebration of every single bit of it.’
Despite his history of clashes with the law, Robinson claimed organisers had been ‘working with the police’ and described their approach as ‘very cooperative’, insisting: ‘We have a good relationship with them, we want fun, they are not our enemy.’
Robinson has become a lightning rod for controversy in recent years, often leading far-Right rallies and protests across the UK.
He was unable to attend his previous high-profile protest, ‘Unite the Kingdom’, last October after being remanded in custody.
Union flag-waving crowds gathered in Whitehall at the time, chanting ‘Oh Tommy Tommy’ and ‘We want Starmer out’ while demanding Robinson’s release.
Many demonstrators wore ‘I am Peter Lynch’ badges – a nod to the 61-year-old who died in prison after shouting abuse at riot police outside a hotel housing asylum seekers. Others waved flags reading: ‘RIP Peter Lynch. Political prisoner.’
Videos of Robinson were played out to the crowd, in which he railed against so-called two-tier policing and Ulez charges, as plumes of cannabis smoke drifted through the air.
In October, Robinson was sentenced to 18 months in prison after breaching a High Court injunction from 2021 that barred him from repeating false claims about a Syrian refugee. He admitted ten breaches of the order.
But he was released from prison in May after seven months as his sentence was reduced by the High Court.
A spokesman for BTP previously said: ‘British Transport Police were called to St Pancras station just after 8.40pm yesterday (28 July) following reports of an assault.
‘Officers attended and a man was taken to hospital with serious injuries, which are not thought to be life threatening.
‘Overnight the investigation has been ongoing and officers have been making arrest enquiries.’
The British Transport Police is urging witnesses or anyone with footage of the incident to text 61016 quoting reference 655 of 28 July.
