Calls for Oxford Union to pay for Robinson policing

The Oxford Union should foot the bill for a "large-scale security operation" that is set to be carried out during the visit of Tommy Robinson, the leader of a local authority has said.

The far-right activist is set to take part in a debate about Islam at the Union on Wednesday - with his invitation sparking widespread condemnation in the city.

Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council, said Wednesday's debate would see "extensive police resources and road closures", which she said the society should pay for.

The BBC has contacted the Oxford Union for a response to Brown's comments, which come after it postponed the original debate "to allow time for planning".

In a statement issued on Monday, Brown said she was "deeply concerned" by the Union's invitation to Robinson - whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

"Oxford is a proudly diverse, multicultural city," she said.

"Whilst we are committed to free speech and open debate, that must be balanced against ensuring all our residents can live free from hatred, intimidation and harm."

The Labour Party councillor said the a "large-scale security operation" was being prepared to deal with the event.

"This will cause considerable disruption for local residents and businesses, and comes at a substantial cost," she said.

"The Oxford Union must meet the full costs of staging their event, rather than leaving Oxford's taxpayers to pick up the bill."

Robinson's proposed visit to the historic debating society comes just over a month after he led thousands in a Unite the Kingdom rally in London on 16 May.

The protest saw 20 people arrested, with those gathered telling the BBC they had a wide range of views - including some who felt white people, in particular white working class people, were being discriminated against in the UK.

Meanwhile, The Jolly Farmers Pub in Oxford said businesses were "boarding up windows" ahead of Robinson's visit.

"Businesses are going to suffer. Communities are going to suffer. Our reputation as a city is going to suffer," the pub said in a post on Facebook.

"We respectfully ask you [the Union] to rescind this invitation and show true leadership and a duty of care to the city you call home," it added.

The criticism follows that of the Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend Steven Croft, and Imam Monawar Hussain last month.

Ahead of the event's initial scheduling in May, the pair penned a joint letter calling on the society to withdraw its invitation to Robinson.

They said the invitation was "untimely and divisive", and that Oxford was "a city in which there is no room for hatred".

"As faith and civic leaders across Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley we stand together against hatred, racism and those who would divide our communities," they added.

The Oxford Union is a student society dating back more than 200 years. It has a reputation for hosting controversial speakers - ranging from OJ Simpson to Gerry Adams.

Inviting people to take part traditionally falls to the Union's president- currently Arwa Elrayess - who serves for just a single eight-week academic term.

The Union is run completely independently of the University of Oxford.