Two people were arrested, including a teenage boy charged with violent disorder, after a riot broke out at about midnight on Saturday at an influencer boxing event in Kilkenny, Ireland, where far-right activist Tommy Robinson was a ringside guest. The violence erupted after Sullivan demanded that a Muslim social media personality return to face off against Robinson in the ring.
The riot took place at about midnight on Saturday at an event organised by internet personalities HSTikkyTokky (Harrison Sullivan) and Ed Matthews under their Unhinged events company, held at the Hub events venue in Kilkenny. Robinson, 43, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was on bail after being found guilty in October of harassing two journalists to the point it caused them fear of violence; he is due back in court on 16 December for a sentencing hearing, with a substantial custodial sentence possible.
The event, livestreamed on the Kick platform to about 1.8 million viewers, began without incident. Tensions rose when Sullivan and Matthews invited Robinson to the commentator's desk before a fight by Muslim social media personality Mo Deen, whose real name is Mohammad Kubba. Robinson, holding a copy of his book The Grooming Gang Cover-Up, told Matthews that 'Muslims have been raping our country for 100 years' and cited false statistics about Muslim men and sexual offences, which many in the racially diverse crowd took offence at.
After Kubba won his fight, he climbed out of the ring and jumped on Robinson, throwing punches. Security brought the scuffle under control, and further competitive fights were set to resume. However, the event erupted into a riot after Sullivan demanded that Kubba, who had left, return to face off against Robinson in the ring. A reluctant Kubba was escorted back by security. Sullivan appeared to want an unscheduled bareknuckle fight, repeatedly saying 'let Tommy fight him', and allowed Robinson's entourage, whom he referred to as 'Tommy's boys', into the ring. Upon Kubba's arrival, Robinson threw his book at Kubba and a fight broke out. The crowd erupted into violence, with chairs and barricades thrown and attendees punching each other, as others screamed and ran for safety.
Interviewed after the riot, Kubba claimed he had been told to start a fight with Robinson, though he declined to say by whom. Before the fight, Robinson had said he would be willing to 'batter' Kubba if the Muslim personality started a fight with him, though he also said he liked Kubba and bore him no ill will. There is no suggestion the riot was pre-planned.
Over the next 20 minutes violent scenes unfolded as Sullivan unsuccessfully pleaded with the crowd to stay peaceful. The riot was eventually broken up by event and venue security and the gardaí, who had been called earlier for disturbances. A Garda Síochána spokesperson confirmed that a man in his 30s was assaulted and taken to St Luke's hospital in Kilkenny, and that another man in his 20s was arrested and detained at a police station. A teenage boy was also arrested and subsequently charged with violent disorder, and was due to appear in court on Sunday.
The Ministry of Justice and the Metropolitan police were unable to confirm whether Robinson's bail terms prohibited international travel. In comments uploaded to social media Sunday, Sullivan acknowledged his error in not hiring more security. 'Everyone makes mistakes when you are trying to grow something,' he said, before adding: 'One thing I can say is it was a great night of entertainment and it's gone super viral.' On the Unhinged promotions Instagram account, footage of the riot was uploaded with the caption: 'The Area started a RIOT.'
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The riot highlights the volatility of influencer-led events that mix polarising political figures with young audiences in live settings
- It underscores the challenges social media platforms face in moderating live content that can incite real-world violence
- The involvement of Tommy Robinson, already facing a potential custodial sentence, adds a legal dimension that could affect his bail status
Background
Tommy Robinson is a far-right activist in the UK who was found guilty in October of harassing two journalists. He founded the English Defence League and has a history of inflammatory rhetoric about Islam. Harrison Sullivan and Ed Matthews are manosphere influencers who earlier this year appeared in a Netflix documentary. Their Unhinged events company organised the boxing event as part of a trend of influencer-led combat sports.
Key Perspectives
Mo Deen: claimed after the riot that he had been told to start a fight with Robinson, though he declined to say by whom
Tommy Robinson: before the fight said he would be willing to 'batter' Kubba if Kubba started a fight with him, though also said he liked Kubba and bore him no ill will
Harrison Sullivan: acknowledged he erred by not hiring more event security, saying 'Everyone makes mistakes when you are trying to grow something' and calling it 'a great night of entertainment'
What to Watch
- Whether Robinson's bail terms are found to have been breached, potentially leading to earlier detention
- The outcome of the teenage boy's court appearance on Sunday
- Whether Kick or other platforms take action over the livestreamed violence
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedTwo people were arrested at the influencer boxing event.World news | The Guardian: “Two people were arrested at an influencer boxing event that descended into a riot in Ireland”
- SupportedA riot broke out at an influencer boxing event in Ireland attended by Tommy Robinson.World news | The Guardian: “Riot breaks out at influencer boxing event attended by Tommy Robinson in Ireland.”
- SupportedThe riot took place at about midnight on Saturday at an event in Kilkenny.World news | The Guardian: “The riot took place at about midnight on Saturday at an event organised by the controversial internet personality HSTikkyTokky, whose real name is Harrison Sullivan, at the Hub events venue in Kilkenny.”
- SupportedRobinson told Matthews, “Muslims have been raping our country for 100 years”.World news | The Guardian: “Robinson, who was holding a copy of his book The Grooming Gang Cover-Up, told Matthews that “Muslims have been raping our country for 100 years””
- SupportedThe violence erupted after Sullivan demanded Kubba return to face off against Robinson in the ring.World news | The Guardian: “However, the event erupted into a riot after Sullivan demanded that Kubba, who had left the event, return to “face off” against Robinson in the ring.”
- SupportedSullivan was repeatedly heard saying, “let Tommy fight him”.World news | The Guardian: “with Sullivan repeatedly heard saying “let Tommy fight him”.”
- SupportedThe event was livestreamed on Kick to about 1.8 million viewers.World news | The Guardian: “The event, which was livestreamed on the Kick platform to about 1.8 million viewers, began without incident.”
- SupportedA teenage boy was arrested, charged with violent disorder and due to appear in court on Sunday.World news | The Guardian: “A teenage boy was also arrested and subsequently charged with violent disorder, and was due to appear in court on Sunday.”
- SupportedRobinson was on bail after being found guilty in October of harassing two journalists, and was due back in court on 16 December for sentencing.World news | The Guardian: “Robinson, 43, is on bail after being found guilty in October of harassing two journalists to the point it caused them fear of violence. He is due back in court on 16 December for a sentencing hearing”
- SupportedKubba claimed he had been told to start a fight with Robinson but declined to say by whom.World news | The Guardian: “Interviewed by the Guardian after the riot, Kubba claimed he had been told to start a fight with Robinson, although he declined to say by whom.”
- SupportedSullivan said, “Everyone makes mistakes when you are trying to grow something,” and called it “a great night of entertainment”.World news | The Guardian: ““Everyone makes mistakes when you are trying to grow something,” he said, before adding: “One thing I can say is it was a great night of entertainment and it’s gone super viral.””
- SupportedThe Unhinged promotions Instagram account posted riot footage with the caption, “The Area started a RIOT.”World news | The Guardian: “On its official Instagram account, @unhinged_promotions, footage of the riot was uploaded with the caption: “The Area started a RIOT.””