Rapper convicted of posting ‘menacing’ video directed at Tommy Robinson
Share:
Birmingham-based drill musician known as Twista Cheese made gun gesture in video and shouted ‘pow, pow, pow’. A rapper has been convicted of posting a “menacing” video on social media directed towards Tommy Robinson, in which he mentioned artillery and made a gun gesture while shouting “pow, pow, pow”.
Omar Abdirizak, a 31-year-old Birmingham-based rapper known as Twista Cheese, posted the minute-long TikTok video in August last year. He pleaded not guilty to sending a message of a menacing character contrary to the Communications Act 2003 but was convicted after a two-hour trial at Birmingham magistrates court on Wednesday.
The prosecutor, Tim Talbot-Webb, said references to guns and artillery in the video meant it had crossed the line from freedom of speech into criminality. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, reposted the video, which received more than 2m views, on X alongside a claim that it was a threat to murder him due to “lies” by the media and politicians, the court heard.
In his evidence to the court, Abdirizak denied making direct threats to the jailed former English Defence League leader. The drill rapper said he had made the video to “to put Tommy Robinson in his place” in response to issues connected to last summer’s riots.
“I am saying, if you come – self-defence,” he told the court. “Even when I say ‘bam, bam, bam’, this is all entertainment.”. During the minute-long video, which was played to the court, Abdirizak can be seen wearing a patterned hoodie and grey jogging bottoms. He says he has a message for Robinson, before adding he has “Muslims in every corner” and “look at the artillery we’ve got”.
