The teenage Syrian refugee who was filmed being attacked in a Huddersfield playground is suing Tommy Robinson for accusing him of assaulting schoolgirls.
Jamal Hijazi, 16, is seeking libel action against the English Defence League founder, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, after he allegedly peddled “false and defamatory lies” about the student.
The clip showed the schoolboy being shoved to the ground by his neck, threatened with drowning and having water poured on his face while having his arm in a cast, and was viewed millions of times after it was posted online.
The incident took place at Almondbury Community School on October 25 and was reported to police the following day.
Hours after the video went viral, Yaxley-Lennon claimed the teenager had assaulted three girls and a boy previously, and reposted a message he claimed was from a mother who said her daughter had been bullied.
“He violently attacked young English girls in his school. Why is this kid being portrayed as the ultimate victim in the entire country?” Yaxley-Lennon said.
He accused the schoolboy of “not being that innocent”, adding that “lots of Muslim gangs are beating up white English kids” in Britain, in posts that had been viewed almost a million times.
They were taken down by Facebook for violating community guidelines, and Yaxley-Lennon was subsequently banned from Facebook and Instagram for breaking policies on hate speech.
Hijazi said he and his family had been forced to move out of Huddersfield after they received threats.
“After he posted the video we were very scared and we got lots of threats from people because of what he said about me hitting those girls. I had never even spoken to these girls but people in the area started threatening us,” the teenager said.
Solicitor Tasnime Akunjee, who is representing Jamal and his family, said: “We are lodging Jamal’s claim for damages as against Yaxley-Lennon with the court today.
“The claim flows from defamatory comments made by Yaxley-Lennon about Jamal in the latter part of 2018.”
It comes after Robinson was jailed for 13 months in May last year after he filmed people involved in a criminal trial at Leeds Crown Court and broadcast the footage on social media.
He spent two months behind bars and the case was then referred back to the Attorney General, who announced in March that it was in the public interest to bring fresh proceedings against Robinson.
Court of Appeal judges had quashed the finding of contempt made in Leeds.
The 36-year-old could be sent back if he is found in contempt, which carries a maximum sentence of two years.