Inside the Oxford Union debate where Tommy Robinson lost to a Palestinian student from Gaza

Inside the Oxford Union debate where Tommy Robinson lost to a Palestinian student from Gaza Submitted by Imran Mulla on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 10:14 The far-right leader was defeated in a fiery debate on Islam as hundreds of protestors surrounded the prestigious institution's building Tommy Robinson and Arwa Elrayess at the Oxford Union on Wednesday (MEE/Imran Mulla) Off On Wednesday night Britain's most notorious anti-Islam activist was hosted at the Oxford Union by a Palestinian student from Gaza who said she was upholding his right to free speech, before roundly defeating him in a debate on Islam. Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, arrived at the debating society to speak in support of the motion "This House believes the West is right to be suspicious of Islam". It failed to pass. The union is a globally famous institution. Many of its debates have gone down in history. There is little doubt that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, will watch this debate online when it is published later this year. But the audience inside the chamber on Wednesday night was extraordinarily small, owing to a crowd of hundreds of protestors who had prevented people - including speakers - from entering and delayed the event by hours. Somehow, I got in. Here is what happened.  Masked protestors on the streets This was a debate which many believed would never take place. The Oxford Union president this term, Arwa Elrayess - who is Muslim with Palestinian heritage and 20-years-old - told me when I interviewed her last month that she wanted to uphold the tradition of free speech, and scrutinise far-right and anti-Muslim ideas rather than shying away from them. Elrayess was embroiled in another free speech-related row a few weeks ago when the British government denied entry to two American political commentators, Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur, who she had invited to speak at the union. Piker and Uygur appeared to have been banned from Britain for remarks they had made attacking Israel. The ban was widely condemned, including by leading politicians.  Oxford Union president vows to platform Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur in defiance of UK ban Read More » Elrayess defied the Home Office by hosting Piker and Uygur over livestream. Wednesday's debate on Islam, by contrast, attracted a different sort of opposition.  Parliamentarians, including a former cabinet minister, condemned Elrayess' decision to invite Robinson, a convicted criminal. In the union itself, Elrayess survived a no-confidence vote over the debate. On Wednesday two streets were closed off around the union, and some pubs and cafes shut early over anticipated protests. The debate came just a week after rioters targeted ethnic minorities in Belfast, following an attempted murder by an asylum seeker. Robinson had urged his followers online to hold protests hours before the disorder began. At around 5.30pm in the afternoon on Wednesday, around 60 left-wing protestors were gathered outside on the street, blocked off by the police, which led to the union. They chanted "refugees are welcome here" and anti-fascist slogans. The crowd soon grew to at least 500. Many people wore masks.  These protestors believed Robinson's words were so dangerous they had to prevent people from hearing them at all costs.  Many of them physically stopped students from entering the debate. This included Laila Nasher, a Muslim student who had been due to give a speech.  Elrayess, the president, told me after the debate that her own family members - who had flown over from Doha to come and hear her speak - were prevented from entering by protestors. So was the family of another student speaker, Aisha Khan. Inside the union grounds Inside the union grounds the atmosphere was eerily serene, since few people had managed to get in. I myself had slipped through the crowd before the protest grew to its fullest extent. One Muslim man described how he and others had physically barged past protestors to make it in. Laurence Fox, a prominent far-right commentator and founder of a small right-wing political party, who was set to speak alongside Robinson, was seen smoking in his tuxedo. Home Office bans Tommy Robinson ally from entering UK to attend far-right march Read More » He happily watched the enraged protestors outside as police officers, sent as reinforcements, jogged past. "I just wanted to see if it was one guy with a megaphone," he said gleefully. "But it's not." Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Conservative minister and a union trustee who was to speak against Robinson in the debate, was seen enjoying a drink in the union bar. One Oxford undergraduate drinking beer - who refused to say which side of the debate he supported, but seemed to be sympathetic to the motion - praised Elrayess. "I'm with Arwa all the way. And most of the protestors who tried to stop me getting in were white men!" On benches in the courtyard outside, young Muslims were discussing the event. One, who had come from Cambridge, said even holding a debate on Islam was a mistake because it gave bad-faith actors a chance to demonise Muslims. Another student, from the London School of Economics, argued that Islam had a rich tradition of discourse and free thinking. A Muslim student at Oxford thought Elrayess had done a good job as president, and had "both the far right and the far left attacking her". In the end the debate was heavily delayed because of the protests. It had been supposed to start at 7.30pm; it began at close to 10pm. There were fewer than a hundred people in the chamber, which has often hosted more than 400.  Far-right activists served halal chicken Because only some earlycomers had managed to get in, around half of the audience seemed to be on Robinson's side of the debate. Many were guests of the speakers, while most student members of the union had been left outside. Minor far-right internet personalities and Muslim YouTubers and debaters, who had dined together earlier that evening, were exchanging light-hearted banter before the debate.  The food they had been served included halal chicken - "I enjoyed it," laughed far-right podcaster Liam Tuffs. "First and foremost, congratulations for those of you who were able to make it in," Elrayess said at the debate's opening. She made the surprise announcement that she would not be chairing the debate, because she was going to speak for the opposition. Oliver Jones-Lyons, a union committee member, began the debate as a speaker for the motion. Robinson pictured in London in October, 2025 (AFP) He argued that "Islam is widely irreconcilable with the fundamental principles of western liberal democratic society." Jones-Lyons said that in Islamic states, non-Muslims have to pay a tax called the jizya. Abdullah al-Andalusi, a Muslim debater on the opposition, stood up to argue that in Pakistan "Muslims are not allowed to drink alcohol, but Pakistani Christians are actually allowed to drink alcohol", and that therefore Islamic law sometimes privileges non-Muslims. Jones-Lyons responded: "So what you're saying is, fundamentally, there is discrimination between Muslims and non-Muslims." Next up was student speaker Aisha Khan. She began by quoting some Latin; Robinson looked nonplussed. According to union tradition, Khan was to introduce the speakers on the side opposing her. She introduced "Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known to his hooligans as Tommy Robinson", adding: "Stephen, there is a crowd outside rioting against you tonight, and without the protection and generosity of a Muslim Palestinian president and a largely South Asian executive committee, you would be quite literally cooked." The crowd erupted into applause. She turned to Laurence Fox: "Founder of the Reclaim Party, which at the last general election reclaimed approximately 0.02 percent of the British vote." Khan argued "I agree that western values are worth defending... western critical thinking means I can read a scholar's commentary on a Quranic verse and decide that he might be right or wrong. "It means I can hold my faith up to scrutiny without it shattering, because a thing that cannot survive a question probably deserves to be questioned." Tommy Robinson holds forth Next came the big moment: Robinson's speech. To the protestors outside, whose shouting could be faintly heard, Robinson's ideas were so dangerous that they simply must not be aired in British society, and certainly not in the union. Those who support Elrayess would say that argument elevates Robinson to a sort of mythological status, as a man with hypnotic powers of persuasion. So what did Robinson, on this evening wearing a suit and tie, have to say? "First of all, I'd like to say I'd much rather be watching the England game," he said to scattered applause. Robinson praised Elrayess for weathering great backlash and for her "defence of free speech, and that's the reason why I'm here tonight".  He then moved on to the subject at hand. "Islam is defined in the Quran," he explained. "Muslims believe the Quran to be the word of Allah, written as an eternal book in heaven and revealed to Muhammad in the seventh century."  He went on: "And it's the sunnah, the excellent pattern of behaviour or exalted standard of moral excellence as defined in the hadiths, which record the sayings, actions and silence, approvals or disapprovals of Muhammad."  By this point Robinson might have been mistaken for an Islamic cleric. But he soon began to quote Quranic verses he claimed were proof of Islam's violent intolerance, and pointed to laws in various Muslim-majority countries. "How many of you in here are gay?" he asked. No one put their hand up. "You don't actually need to put your hands up. 'I wanted this debate to be held because we have seen what happens when people's anger goes unaddressed - Arwa Elrayess, Oxford Union president "In the Qur'an, through the story of Lot, homosexuality is condemned and four of the five major schools of Islamic law think it should be punishable by death." Andalusi challenged Robinson to point out where it says in Islamic scripture "that someone who is homosexual or gay should be executed". Robinson didn't answer, but pointed to people "being thrown off rooftops" in the Middle East. The novice theologian soon moved on. "Let's talk about sex, alright?" A few students sat up. "How many of you have had sex since you got here?" Robinson asked. "I want to see your hands up." Jones-Lyons, the first speaker, proudly raised his hand. "The Qur'an prescribes 100 lashes for the male and the female involved in what Islam considers illegal sexual intercourse," Robinson said solemnly. He claimed the Quran explained child marriage. An opposition speaker, Michael Dowards (widely known online as Brother Dowie), proved Robinson had got the quote wrong. Dowards is from the town of Luton, like Robinson. "Tommy is desperate to make connections between crime and Islam," he said. "But when it comes to people doing good things, NHS workers, doctors, nurses, charity care sector workers... does he ever want to make the connection between Muslims doing good deeds and Islam? "In fact actually, when you ask these doctors, nurses, care workers, charity sector workers, 'why do you do it?' They'll say, 'because my religion tells me to be a good person.'"  'God save the union' Later in the night, a former Oxford Union president stood up to make an eccentric speech calling for a "reformed" and "Anglican form of Islam". He condemned "the combined forces of His Majesty's Constabulary", Oxford councillors, "barboury-clad Liberal Democrat MPs" and "thousands of students in Oxford" who "tried to bully and harass a 19-year-old Muslim girl because they don't think she should be able to discuss her faith". He told Elrayess he was "in awe of how you stood up to the bullies and the censors", before concluding "God save the Oxford Union, Christ is King" to huge applause from Robinson's supporters. Laurence Fox, who appeared somewhat tipsy, started by praising Arwa's commitment to free speech. He brandished a large envelope and announced he was going to open it and display a controversial cartoon. He seemed to expect an uproar from the Muslims in the audience. But the objection came from Jacob Rees-Mogg, who solemnly noted that as a former union librarian he recalled "props" were against the rules. The former union president who had just spoken then intervened to declare that props were in fact allowed. Fox dramatically opened the envelope to reveal a cartoon of Rees-Mogg, to widespread laughter and applause. Another term, another Oxford Union scandal. This time the highly prestigious debating society - hailed as the last bastion of free speech - has invited far-right activist Tommy Robinson to a debate on Islam. Outrage has erupted. Hundreds have signed an open letter against the… pic.twitter.com/3lweJfbjlY — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) May 21, 2026 The speech that received the most raucous reaction was the president's. "I wanted this debate to be held because we have seen what happens when people's anger goes unaddressed," Elrayess said. "It does not disappear. It looks for somewhere to go." Elrayess responded to Robinson having quoted a Quranic verse apparently calling on Muslims to kill unbelievers by pointing out that the preceding verse "exempts anyone who was keeping a peace treaty with the Muslims". She noted that "every major classical commentator on the Quran, for 1400 years", agreed "that the verse was about a very specific group of Arab tribes" who had broken a peace treaty with the early Muslims during a time of war. Elrayess went on to quote the Prophet Muhammad's final sermon in which he declared there was "no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or a non-Arab over an Arab, or a white over a black, or a black over a white, except in piety".  'Free speech and debate is not something I do despite being a Muslim, it is something I do because of it. I'm not betraying my religion, I'm practicing it' - Arwa Elrayess, Oxford Union president She cited a recent an Opinium poll showing that 85 percent of British Muslims support democracy as "the best system of government", compared with only 71 percent of the general population. Seven in 10 Muslims said they "feel completely or mostly loyal to the UK", whereas only half of the British public at large do so. "British Muslims are more committed to British values than the British average," Elrayess declared. Several young men in black tie who had been applauding Robinson were now enthusiastically applauding Elrayess.  The president concluded by declaring: "Free speech and debate is not something I do despite being a Muslim, it is something I do because of it. "I'm not betraying my religion, I'm practicing it." She proclaimed: "My faith has survived empires, it will survive this evening. "Vote against [the motion] to protect what is best in your own tradition, the right of every person in this country to be seen as a human being." The applause was thunderous. It was, perhaps, in that moment that the debate was won.  At the end, the final vote was 41 to 57. The motion had been defeated, albeit by a small audience. Many Oxford students who had tickets for the debate and who had been prevented from entering would likely have opposed the motion. Their absence made the debate a more closely contested fight. And Robinson's side had lost. As we left the building late at night, assembled protestors passionately sang "you can shove your fucking union up your arse". Many critics will argue that the debate, which will go down in union history, was a dreadful event which did nothing but legitimise fascism and anti-Muslim hatred at a dangerous time in British history, by giving it a platform at a prestigious institution. But for others, the debate held a different significance: that some bright young Muslim students at Oxford had defied enormous opposition to graciously host anti-Islam activists, dine with them, proudly uphold their free speech and then defeat them fair and square - and with tremendous flair - in open debate.  I met a young British Muslim man in a suit at the Oxford train station in the middle of the night. He said he had come from London to see the debate, but had been stopped from entering by masked protestors. He was terribly disappointed and annoyed with the protestors. He had been curious to hear Robinson speak. He wanted to hear the opposing arguments. He didn't feel nervous, or insecure, about having his religion debated. One suspects many young British Muslims feel the same way. UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0