ريانا

روبن ريانا فينتي (بالإنجليزية: Robyn Rihanna Fenty) (من مواليد 20 فبراير، 1988)، المعروفة باسم الشهرة ريانا (بالإنجليزية: Rihanna)، وهي مغنية باربادوسية، وممثلة، ومصممة أزياء. ولدت في سانت مايكل الواقعة في بربادوس. بدأت مهنة ريانا الفنية عندما التقت بالمنتج الموسيقي إيفان روجرز من خلال أصدقاء مقربين لها في أواخر عام (2003). في سن 16 عاماً، انتقلت ريانا إلى الولايات المتحدة لممارسة مهنة الغناء، والبدء في تسجيل بعض الأشرطة التجريبية بتوجيه من المنتج الموسيقي إيفان. تم إرسال شريطها التجريبي إلى العديد من شركات الإنتاج، وفي وقت لاحق وقعت عقداً مع تسجيلات ديف جام بعد تجربة أداء أمام رئيس الشركة، الرابر جي-زي.

كان ألبوم ريانا الإستديو الثالث، غود غرل غون باد (2007) إنجازاً كبيراً في مسيرتها الفنية الذي جلب لها شهرة عالمية، والذي شمل الأغنية المنفردة التي تصدرت المراتب العالمية "أمبريلا". بعد قضية العنف المنزلي مع عشيقها السابق كريس براون، أصدرت ألبومها الإستديو الرابع رايتد آر (2009). رجعت ريانا إلى النجومية العالمية بعد صدور ألبومها الإستديو الخامس لاود (2010)، والذي أنتج ثلاث أغان منفردة تصدرت المراتب العالمية بما في ذلك "أونلي غرل (إن ذا وورلد)". أغنية ألبومها الإستديو السادس توك ذات توك (2011) المنفردة الأولى "وي فاوند لوف" تصدرت المراتب العالمية بما في ذلك بيلبورد هوت 100 التي أمضت عشرة أسابيع في القمة. حصلت على أول ألبوم يتصدر بيلبورد 200 عندما صدر ألبومها الإستديو السابع أنوبولوجيتيك (2012)، وفي العام نفسه، ظهرت في أول فيلم روائي طويل لها، باتلشيب. أدرجت صوتها في أول فيلم رسوم متحركة لها، هوم (2015).

حصلت ريانا على العديد من الجوائز والتقديرات، بما في ذلك ثمانية جوائز غرامي، وثمانية جوائز الموسيقى الأمريكية، وإحدى عشر جائزة بيلبورد الموسيقية، وجائزتين بريت. لديها ثلاثة عشر أغنية منفردة في المركز الأول على بيلبورد هوت 100، وبهذا أصبحت أصغر فنان منفرد يحقق هذا الإنجاز. في (2012)، صنفت فوربس ريانا في المركز الرابع في قائمة أقوى المشاهير لهذه السنة، مع أرباح وصلت إلى 53 مليون في الفترة بين مايو (2011) ومايو (2012)، وفي العام نفسه، سميت تايم ريانا واحدة من أكثر 100 شخصية مؤثرة في العالم. في (2013)، حصلت ريانا على جائزة "أيكون" من قبل الجوائز الموسيقية الأمريكية.
ولدت روبن ريانا فينتي في (20 فبراير، 1988)، في سانت مايكل، باربيدوس. والدتها مونيكا بريثوايت، المنحدرة من أفرو-غيانا كانت تعمل محاسبة، ووالدها رونالد فينتي، من أصل باربيدوسي وإيرلندي كان مشرفاً على أحد المستودعات. لدى ريانا شقيقان، روري ورجاد فينتي، واثنتين من الأخوات وشقيق من والدها، من أمهات مختلفة من علاقات سابقة. نشأت في بيت من طابق به ثلاثة غرف نوم في مدينة بريدج تاون وكانت تبيع ملابس مع والدها في كشك على رصيف الشارع. طفولة ريانا تأثرت تأثراً شديداً بسبب إدمان والدها على الكوكايين، والكحول، والماريجوانا، وانتهى زواج والديها المضطرب عندما كانت عمرها 14 عاماً.

كبرت ريانا وهي تستمع إلى أغاني الريغي وبدأت الغناء في حوالي سن السابعة. التحقت في المدرسة الابتدائية تشارلز إف. بروم ميموريال والمدرسة الثانوية كاميرمير، حيث شكلت فرقة موسيقية ثلاثية مع اثنتين من زميلاتها في الفصل. كانت ريانا من المتدربين في الجيش في البرنامج الفرعي العسكري؛ وكانت المغنية شونتيل رقيبة ريانا في الحفر. على الرغم من أنها كانت تريد أن تتخرج من المدرسة الثانوية، لكنها اختارت ممارسة مهنة الموسيقى بدلاً من ذلك.

مراحلها الفنية
البداية الفنية
بدأت مهنة ريانا الفنية من خلال اجتماعها مع المنتجين الأمريكيين كارل ستوركن وإيفان روجرز؛ تقابلت مع إيفان من خلال أصدقائها المقربين في باربيدوس في ديسمبر (2003). لفتت انتباه المنتج، الذي طلب منها أن تأتي إلى غرفته في الفندق، حيث غنت عنده. انبهر المنتج من أدائها، وبعد ذلك أخذها هي وأمها إلى مدينة نيويورك لتسجيل بعض الأشرطة التجريبية. وقعت ريانا عقد مع شركة إنتاج إيفان روجرز وكارل ستوركن، سنديكيتد ريذم للإنتاج، الذي أوكل لها محام ومدير أعمال. في أواخر عام (2004)، تم توزيع شريطها التجريبي إلى شركات الإنتاج في جميع أنحاء العالم، وحيث استحوذ على اهتمام جاي براون، المسؤول التنفيذي لإي أند آر في تسجيلات ديف جام، وقام بتشغيل الشريط التجريبي إلى الرئيس والرئيس التنفيذي لتسجيلات ديف جام، جي-زي. في فبراير (2005)، حلقت ريانا إلى مدينة نيويورك لتقوم بتجربة أداء أمام جي-زي والمنتج المنفذ إل.إي. ريد، قامت بأداء نسخة ويتني هيوستن لأغنية "فور ذا لوف أوف يو"، وأغنيتها الأصلية "بون دي ريبلاي" و"ذا لاست تايم". في ذلك اليوم نفسه، وقعت ريانا صفقة ستة ألبومات مع تسجيلات ديف جام، وانتقلت في وقت لاحق إلى مدينة نيويورك للعيش مع إيفان وزوجته.

أمضت ريانا الأشهر الثلاثة القادمة بتسجيل ألبومها الإستديو الأول. في مايو (2005)، صدرت أغنيتها المنفردة الأولى، "بون دي ريبلاي"، التي تلقت نجاحاً عالمياً على الرسوم البيانية، بما في ذلك بلوغها إلى المركز الثاني على الرسم البياني الأمريكي بيلبورد هوت 100. بعد عدة شهور، صدر ألبومها الإستديو الأول، ميوزك أوف ذا سن. الذي بلغ ذروته في المركز العاشر على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد 200، وحصل على الشهادة الذهبية من قبل رابطة صناعة التسجيلات الأمريكية (RIAA)، تدل على شحن أكثر من 500,000 نسخة. بعد شهر من إصدار ألبومها الإستديو الأول، بدأت ريانا العمل على ألبومها الإستديو الثاني. الذي صدر في أبريل (2006)، بعنوان آ غرل لايك مي. الذي بلغ ذروته في المركز الخامس على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد 200. عندما صدرت أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الأولى، "إس أو إس"، بلغت ذروتها في القمة على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100، وبذلك أصبحت أول أغنية لها تصل إلى المركز الأول على هذا الرسم البياني. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الثانية، "أنفايثفول"، وصلت إلى المركز الأول على الرسوم البيانية الكندية والسويسرية. عقب صدور الألبوم، شرعت ريانا في جولتها الموسيقية الأولى، ريانا: لايف إن كونسرت تور. ظهرت ريانا في أول عمل تمثيلي لها في دور بسيط في فيلم برنغ إت أون: أول أور نثنغ، الذي صدر في أغسطس (2006).

في أوائل عام (2007)، بدأت ريانا التسجيل لألبومها الإستديو الثالث. لألبومها الإستديو الثالث، غود غرل غون باد، احتضنت ريانا اتجاه موسيقي جديد خلال مسارات أخرى مثل أغاني الإيقاع العالي من إنتاج تمبالاند، وويل.آي.أم، وشون غاريت. صدر الألبوم في مايو (2007)، وبلغ ذروته في المركز الأول على العديد من الرسوم البيانية العالمية، بما في ذلك الرسم البياني البريطاني والكندي. تلقى الألبوم الكثير من المراجعات الإيجابية عكس ألبوماتها السابقة. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الأولى، "أمبريلا"، بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول في ثلاثة عشر دولة على الرسوم البيانية العالمية، وأمضت في المركز الأول في المملكة المتحدة لمدة عشرة أسابيع متتالية، وهذا يجعل الأغنية أطول أغنية تمضي في القمة منذ أغنية "لوف إز أول أراوند" للفرقة البريطانية ويت ويت ويت التي أمضت في القمة لمدة خمسة عشر أسبوعاً في عام (1994). أصبحت أول أغنية منفردة لريانا تسمى بأفضل أغنية منفردة مبيعاً في جميع أنحاء العالم، بعد أن باعت أكثر من 6.6 مليون نسخة. في سبتمبر (2007)، صدرت أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الرابعة، "دونت ستوب ذا ميوزك"، وتصدرت العديد من الرسومية البيانية العالمية، بما في ذلك الرسوم البيانية الأسترالية والفرنسية. في نفس الشهر، بدأت في جولتها العالمية الأولى بعنوان غود غرل غون باد،دعماً للألبوم. ترشحت ريانا لعدة جوائز في حفل توزيع جوائز الغرامي الخمسين، وفازت في أفضل تعاون راب/أداء لأغنية "أمبريلا" جنباً إلى جنب مع جي-زي.

طوال عام (2008)، قامت ريانا بأداء مساند في جولة غلو إن ذا دارك جنباً إلى جنب مع كانييه ويست، ولوبي فياسكو، وإن.إي.آر.دي.. تم إعادة إصدار ألبومها الإستديو الثالث، بعنوان غود غرل غون باد: ريلوديد، والذي صدر في يونيو (2008) مع ثلاث أغان جديدة. في يونيو (2008)، صدرت أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الأولى، تايك آ باو، والتي بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على العديد من الرسوم البيانية العالمية، بما في ذلك على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100. في نفس الشهر، صدرت أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الثالثة، دستربيا، والتي بلغت ذروتها على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100. في سبتمبر (2008)، تعاونت مع الرابر الأمريكي، تي.آي.، في أغنية بعنوان، "لف يور لايف"، والتي بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100. صدر في يناير (2009)، نسخة أخرى من الألبوم، عبارة عن ألبوم ريمكس، بعنوان غود غرل غون باد: ذا ريمكسز. في الولايات المتحدة، بيع من الألبوم أكثر من 2.8 مليون؛ تلقى شهادتين من البلاتينيوم من قبل اتحاد صناعة التسجيلات الأمريكية (RIAA)، ويعتبر الألبوم الأكثر مبيعاً لريانا في الولايات المتحدة حتى الآن. أما في جميع أنحاء العالم، بيع من الألبوم أكثر من سبعة ملايين نسخة.

قضية العنف المنزلي
في (8 فبراير، 2009)، تم إلغاء أداء ريانا المقرر في حفل توزيع جوائز الغرامي الواحد والخمسين. ظهرت تقارير في وقت لاحق بشأن مشادة مع عشيقها السابق، المغني كريس براون، الذي تم اعتقاله للاشتباه به في عمل تهديدات إجرامية. في (5 مارس، 2009)، تم إتهام كريس بالأعتداء وبعمل تهديدات إجرامية . بسبب تسرب صورة ريانا من شرطة لوس أنجلوس التي حصلوا عليها من TMZ.com — التي كشفت بأن ريانا تعرضت لإصابات مرئية — اقترحت منظمة معروفة باسم ستوب بابراتزي بـ"قانون ريانا" الذي ينص على "ردع منسوبي الجهات المعنية من تسريب صور أو معلومات التي تستغل ضحايا الجريمة عن طريق هذا القانون." تم استدعاء ريانا للأدلاء بشهادتها خلال جلسة استماع أولية في لوس أنجلس يوم (22 يونيو، 2009). في (22 يونيو، 2009)، أقر كريس بأنه مذنب في جريمة الأعتداء. تلقى كريس خمس سنوات تحت المراقبة وصدر أمر للبقاء خمسين ياردة بعيداً عن ريانا، إلا في المناسبات العامة، والتي انخفضت إلى عشر ياردات لاحقاً. في فبراير (2011)، بناء على طلب محامي كريس وبموافقة ريانا، قامت القاضية باتريشيا شنيغ بتعديل قانون التقييد، الذي يسمح كلا منهما بالظهور في المناسبات العامة معاً في المستقبل.

في أوائل عام (2009)، بدأت ريانا بتسجيل ألبومها الإستديو الرابع، رايتد آر. وفي الوقت نفسه، تعاونت مع جي-زي وكانييه ويست في أغنية "رن ذس تاون"، والتي بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني البريطاني، وفي المركز الثاني على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100. في نوفمبر (2009)، صدر ألبوم ريانا الإستديو الرابع، رايتد آر. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الأولى، "رشن روليت"، التي بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني السويري والنرويجي. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الثالثة، "رود بوي"، والتي أصبحت أكثر أغنية ناجحة عالمياً من الألبوم، حيث تصدرت الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100، لمدة ستة أسابيع. في أوائل (2010)، في حفل توزيع جوائز الغرامي الثاني والخمسين، حصلت أغنية "رن ذس تاون" على جائزة أفضل أغنية راب وأفضل تعاون راب/أداء. في ربيع (2010)، صدرت نسخة أخرى من الألبوم، عبارة عن ألبوم ريمكس، بعنوان رايتد آر: ريمكسد. لدعم الألبوم، شرعت ريانا في جولتها العالمية الثانية، لاست غرل أون إرث تور.

الصعود إلى العالمية
في صيف (2010)، تعاونت ريانا مع الرابر الأمريكي إمينم في أغنية، بعنوان "لوف ذا واي يو لاي"، التي حققت نجاحاً عالمياً، حيث بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100، وبلغت ذروتها في المركز الثاني على الرسم البياني البريطاني، وبهذا تصبح الأغنية واحدة من أكثر الأغاني مبيعاً لعام (2011) في المملكة المتحدة. تعاونت أيضاً مع كانييه ويست في أغنية، بعنوان "أول أوف ذا لايتز"، والتي حصلت لاحقاً على جائزتين في حفل توزيع جوائز الغرامي الرابع والخمسين لأفضل أغنية راب ولأفضل تعاون راب/أداء. في أكتوبر (2010)، غيرت ريانا مديرو أعمالها، وانضمت إلى إدارة جي-زي روك نايشن.

في نوفمبر (2010)، صدر ألبوم ريانا الإستديو الخامس، بعنوان لاود. حقق الألبوم نجاحاً تجارياً هائلاً في جميع أنحاء العالم؛ حيث بلغ ذروته في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني البريطاني والكندي. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الأولى، "أونلي غرل (إن ذا وورلد)"، حيث بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على العديد من الرسوم البيانية العالمية، بما في ذلك على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100، والبريطاني. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الثانية، "واتز ماي نايم؟"، مع اشتراك الرابر الكندي، دريك، حيث وصلت أيضاً إلى المركز الأول على الرسم البياني البريطاني، مما يجعلها أول فنان منفرد من الإناث تحصل على خمسة أغان منفردة في المركز الأول في المملكة المتحدة في سنوات متتالية. بلغت ذروتها أيضاً في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100، قبل "أونلي غرل (إن ذا وورلد)"، وبهذا أصبحت أول فنان في تاريخ الرسم البياني بأن تصل أغنية ألبومه المنفردة الثانية قبل الأولى. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الرابعة، "إس أند إم"، بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100، عقب صدور الريمكس الرسمي للأغنية مع اشتراك الفنانة الأمريكية، بريتني سبيرز.

في فبراير (2011)، حصلت أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الأولى، "أونلي غرل (إن ذا وورلد)" على جائزة في حفل توزيع جوائز الغرامي الثالث والخمسين لأفضل تسجيل دانس. في يونيو (2011)، شرعت ريانا في جولتها العالمية الثالثة، بعنوان لاود، بالإضافة إلى ذلك، تم بيع جميع التذاكر لعشر ليال في مسرح ذا أو 2 أرينا في لندن، وبهذا أصبحت أكثر الحفلات التي تم بيع جميع تذاكرها في تاريخ أي فنانة على هذا المسرح. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، كانت الجولة سابع جولة تحصل على إيرادات عالية في جميع أنحاء العالم لعام (2011). عقب صدور ألبوم ريانا السابق، لاود، كشفت ريانا أن الألبوم سوف يتم إعادة إصداره مع أغاني جديدة في الخريف، ولكن في سبتمبر (2011)، أعلنت أن فكرة إعادة إصدار الألبوم تم إلغاؤها. في نوفمبر (2011)، صدر ألبوم ريانا الإستديو السادس، بعنوان توك ذات توك، حيث بلغ ذروته في المركز الثالث على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد 200، مع 198,000 نسخة بيعت في الأسبوع الأول، وبلغ ذروته أيضاً في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني البريطاني.

أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الأولى، "وي فاوند لوف"، حيث حققت نجاحاً تجارياً في جميع أنحاء العالم، حيث تصدرت على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100، لمدة عشرة أسابيع غير متتالية، وأصبحت أطول أغنية لها تتصدر في المركز الأول وأيضاً لعام (2011). في وقت لاحق سميت الأغنية واحدة من أربع وعشرين أغنية ناجحة على الإطلاق على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100. حصلت الأغنية على العديد من الجوائز، بما في ذلك جائزة فيديو السنة في حفل إم تي في لتوزيع الجوائز الموسيقية المصورة، مما جعلها أول امرأة تحصل على هذه الجائزة أكثر من مرة، وأيضاً على جائزة غرامي لأفضل أغنية مصورة على شكل قصير. شهد شهر مارس (2012)، تعاون ريانا مع كريس براون في ريمكس لأغنية ريانا "بيرثداي كايك"، والذي صدر أيضاً كأغنية منفردة رابعة من الألبوم. تلقى الريمكس على العديد من الإنتقادات السلبية؛ نتيجة لتاريخهم السابق من العنف المنزلي. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الخامسة، "وير هاف يو بين"، تلقت نجاحاً عالمياً، حيث وصلت إلى المركز الخامس على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100.

الدخول إلى عالم التمثيل
في (2010)، بدأت ريانا بالتصوير لأول فيلم روائي طويل لها، في هاواي، بعنوان باتلشيب. من إخراج، بيتر بيرغ. الذي صدر في (18 مايو، 2012)، عن طريق يونيفرسل ستوديوز. هو عبارة عن فيلم خيال علمي عسكري مقتبس عن لعبة تحمل نفس الإسم، يجتاح فيه الفضائيين، وعلى القوات البحرية الذين يستخدمون السفن بمحاربة هؤلاء الغرباء الفضائيين. لعبت ريانا شخصية ضابط صف، كورا رايكس. كل من الفيلم وأداء ريانا تلقى آراء مختلطة ما بين السلبية والإيجابية؛ صحيفة نيو يورك تايمز زعمت بأن "ريانا كانت على ما يرام في الدور بصفة عامة". تلقت ريانا جائزة التوتة الذهبية لأسوأ ممثلة مساعدة، ومن ناحية أكثر إيجابية، حصل أدائها على جائزة اختيار المراهقين لأفضل أداء جديد في فيلم.

في نوفمبر (2012)، صدر ألبوم ريانا الإستديو السابع، أنوبولوجيتيك. بلغ ذروته في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد 200، مع مبيعات وصلت إلى 238,000، مما يجلعه أول ألبوم لها يتصدر هذا الرسم البياني. حصل الألبوم على العديد من الجوائز، بما في ذلك جائزة غرامي لأفضل ألبوم آيربان معاصر في حفل توزيع جوائز الغرامي السادس والخمسين. لترويج الألبوم قبل صدوره، شرعت ريانا في جولة، بعنوان 777، وهي عبارة عن جولة ترويجية مكونة من سبعة عروض في سبعة بلدان في سبعة أيام. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الأولى، "دايموندز"، حققت نجاحاً تجارياً في جميع أنحاء العالم، حيث بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100، وبلغت ذروتها أيضاً في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني البريطاني. أغنية الألبوم المنفردة الثانية، "ستاي"، مع اشتراك الفنان الأمريكي، مكي إكو، حيث بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني الكندي، وبلغت ذروتها أيضاً في المركز الثالث على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100. شرعت ريانا في جولتها العالمية الخامسة، دايموندز وورلد تور، والتي بدأت في مارس (2013)؛ لدعم الألبوم.

في يونيو (2013)، ظهرت ريانا في دور بسيط في فيلم ذس إز ذا إند. من إخراج سيث روغن وإيفان غولدبيرغ. دور ريانا في الفيلم حصل على جائزة إم تي في للأفلام لأفضل دور بسيط. في أكتوبر (2013)، تعاونت ريانا مع الرابر الأمريكي، إمينم، في أغنية بعنوان "ذا مونستر". حققت الأغنية نجاحاً تجارياً في جميع أنحاء العالم، حيث بلغت الأغنية ذروتها في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني البريطاني، ومع هذا الإنجاز، انضمت ريانا مع إلفيس بريسلي وذا بيتلز باعتبارهم الفنانين الثلاث الوحيدين الذين أغانيهم استطاعت الوصول إلى المركز الأول في كل سنة على مدى أكثر من سبعة سنوات متتالية في تاريخ هذا الرسم البياني. وبلغت ذروتها أيضاً في المركز الأول على الرسم البياني الأمريكي، بيلبورد هوت 100. في نوفمبر (2013)، منحت ريانا "جائزة الأيكون" لأول مرة في حفل توزيع جوائز الموسيقى الأمريكية، تم منحها الجائزة من قبل أمها، مونيكا. في يناير (2014)، تعاونت ريانا مع الفنانة الكولومبية، شاكيرا، في أغنية بعنوان "كانت ريميمبر تو فورغيت يو". في أغسطس (2014)، شرعت ريانا في جولة مشتركة مع الرابر الأمريكي، إمينم، بعنوان ذا مونستر تور.

بداية جديدة
في مايو (2014)، غادرت ريانا تسجيلات ديف جام لتوقع عقد كامل مع روك نايشن الذين كانوا يديرون أعمالها منذ أكتوبر (2010). في يونيو (2012)، بدأت ريانا في إدراج صوتها في أول فيلم رسوم متحركة لها، بعنوان هوم. من إخراج المخرج الأمريكي، تيم جونسون. قامت ريانا بأداء دور البطولة في الفيلم مع الممثلين الأمريكيين جيم بارسنز، وستيف مارتن، وجينيفر لوبيز. لعبت ريانا شخصية فتاة صغيرة تحب المغامرة اسمها، تيب، والتي تكون علاقة صداقة مع كائن فضائي لطيف غريب اسمه، أوه. الذي صدر في (27 مارس، 2015) في الولايات المتحدة، وفي نفس الشهر، أصدرت ريانا أول ألبوم موسيقي تصويري، بعنوان هوم، الذي يشمل على أغان ظهرت أثناء الفيلم، والذي شمل على أصوات كل من جينيفر لوبيز، وشارلي إكس سي إكس، وكايزا.

في (24 يناير، 2015)، أعلنت ريانا عن الأغنية المنفردة الأولى من ألبومها الإستديو الثامن القادم، بعنوان "فور فايف سكندز"، بالاشتراك مع مغني الراب الأمريكي، كانييه ويست، والفنان البريطاني، بول مكارتني. حققت الأغنية نجاحاً معتدلاً في جميع أنحاء العالم، حيث بلغت ذروتها في المركز الأول على كل من الرسم البياني الأسترالي والنيوزيلندي.

البراعة الفنية
الموسيقى والصوت
من المعروف بأن ريانا تملك كونترالتو في صوتها مما يجعله "فريد من نوعه". عندما ظهرت لأول مرة، تم تسويقها كمغنية ريغي بسبب أصلها. بدأت في تسجيل أغاني مستوحاة من أنواع الموسيقى الكاريبية مثل السوكا، والدانسهول، والريغي، وفي وقت لاحق، توسعت أكثر إلى اتجاه أنواع أخرى مثل الدانس-بوب، والهيب-هوب، والدبتسيب، والروك، والهاوس. تضمن ألبومها الأول ميوزك أوف ذا سن (2005) مزيج من الدانسهول، والريغي، ولكن آ غرل لايك مي (2006) شهد بداية ريانا في موسيقى الروك في أغنية "كسز دونت لاي"، وتضمن أغاني البوب، والآر أند بي. أثناء تسجيل ألبومها الإستديو الثالث، غود غرل غون باد (2007)، أخذت ريانا دروس موسيقية من ني-يو. في هذا الألبوم، أخذت اتجاه مختلف من الدانسهول إلى أغاني إيقاعها مرتفع. عملت مع منتجين جدد في الألبوم، بما في ذلك تمبلند، وشون غاريت، وكريستوفر "تريكي" ستيوارت، الذي أنتج الأغنية المنفردة التي حققت نجاحاً تجارياً هائلاً، "أمبريلا".
اتجهت ريانا مرة أخرى إلى اتجاه موسيقي وغنائي جديد مع رايتد آر (2009). سجلت الألبوم بعد حادثة الإعتداء من قبل عشيقها السابق في ذلك الوقت، كريس براون، احتوى الألبوم على نبرة مظلمة بكثير، وكان مليء بالعواطف المختلفة التي عاشتها في طوال عام (2009). في ألبومها الإستديو الخامس لاود (2010)، أرادت ريانا بأن تكون أكثر متعة مع موسيقاها وصورتها مع موسيقى جديدة. على عكس ألبومها السابق، هذا الألبوم كان جريء، وممتع، وحيوي. في الألبوم توك ذات توك (2011)، احتوى على موسيقى الهيب-هوب، والآر أند بي، والدانسهول، والدبتسيب. شهد هذا الألبوم وألبومها السابق بعودتها إلى جذورها الكاريبية، مع بعض الأغاني مثل "مان داون" و "واتش ن ليرن"، وتشعبت أيضاً في موسيقى الهاوس مع "وي فاوند لوف"، "أونلي غرل (إن ذا وورلد)" و "كمبليكيتد".

التأثيرات
عينت ريانا مادونا على أنها قدوتها والتأثير الأكبر في مهنتها الفنية، وقالت إنها تريد أن تكون "مادونا السوداء". عينت أيضاً ويتني هيوستن، وماريا كاري كأكبر تأثير لها في حياتها المهنية. لدى أيضاً كل من جانيت جاكسون، وآليا تأثير كبير على أسلوبها الفني. استلهمت ريانا لبدء حياتها المهنية بعد مشاهدة بيونسي على شاشة التلفزيون مع دستنيز تشايلد.

تأثيرات موسيقية أخرى على مهنة ريانا الفنية بما في ذلك الفنانتان الكنديتان فيفي دوبسون، وسيلين ديون، موسيقى ريانا تحتوي على تأثيرات قوية من الموسيقى الكاريبية، بما في ذلك الريغي، والدانسهول. ذكرت أنه في حين نموها في باربيدوس كانت تستمع إلى موسيقى الريغي، وعندما جاءت إلى الولايات المتحدة قالت إنها اكتشفت الكثير من أنواع الموسيقى المختلفة. ذكرت ريانا أيضاً عندما كانت في سن صغير كانت تستمتع إلى العديد من أغان الريغي والآر أند بي، وذكرت أيضاً بأن رؤية بعض الفنانين في سن مبكرة يحصلون على نجاح هائل بما في ذلك جوجو، ألهمني هذا الشيء على أن إذا هؤلاء المراهقين الصغار استطاعوا فعل ذلك، أعتقدت أنه من الممكن أن أفعل ذلك.

تأثرت ريانا تأثيراً كبيراً بالمغني الجامايكي بوب مارلي. ذكرت، "إنه واحد من الفنانين المفضلين بالنسبة لي على الإطلاق ... إنه حقاً مهد الطريق لكل فنان آخر للخروج من منطقة البحر الكاريبي". وقد قامت ريانا بغناء بعض أغان بوب مارلي بما في ذلك "إز ذس لوف"، و"ريدمبشن سونغ"، وقد بنيت ضريح مخصص لبوب مارلي في بيتها.

الأغاني المصورة والأداء المسرحي
عملت ريانا مع مخرج الموسيقى المصورة، أنثوني ماندلر، على أكثر من اثني عشر أغنية مصورة، أولها كانت للأغنية المنفردة، "أنفايثفول" (2006). كتبت جوسلين فينا من إم تي في، "ريانا، مثل مادونا، تستطيع أن تصور أغنية مصورة مثيرة للفكر وتلاءم مع الأغنية نفسها. ريانا ومادونا يريدون منا أن نفكر في قضايا أكبر". تم تصوير كل من "أنفايثفول"، و"لوف ذا واي يو لاي"، و"مان داون"، و"وي فاوند لوف" على شكل فيلم قصير يستكشف قضايا كثيرة مثل قصة حب ثلاثية، وإعتداء، وعلاقات عاطفية سيئة. أغنيتها المصورة لأغنية، "أمبريلا"، دلت على انتقالها إلى مرحلة البلوغ وصورتها المعتمدة حديثاً.

في (2011)، أصدرت ريانا ثلاثة أغان مصورة مثيرة للجدل حول المازوخية والسادية، والإغتصاب، والعنف المنزلي. تم حظر فيديو "إس أند إم" في أحد عشر بلداً لمحتواه الجنسي، وفي الأغنية المصورة لأغنية "مان داون"، تقوم ريانا بإطلاق النار على رجل في محطة قطار؛ تعرض للإنتقادات من قبل مجلس الآباء والتلفزيون، وفي الأغنية المصورة لأغنية "وي فاوند لوف"، تظهر ريانا مع عشيقها في علاقة حب غير جيدة مليئة بالمخدرات؛ أثار انتقادات من مركز أزمات الإغتصاب لرسالتها الغير لائقه. تعتبر ريانا أول امرأة تجتاز ملياري مشاهدة على موقع الأغاني المصورة، فيفو. اعتباراً من سبتمبر (2013)، استطاعت على الحصول على أكثر من أربعة مليارات مشاهدة على هذا الموقع.

أزياء ريانا الجلدية الكاشفة خلال جولة غود غرل غون باد تلقت انتقادات شديدة من قبل الحزب الإسلامي المحافظ في ماليزيا، التي أوصت بأن الجولة يجب حظرها. قارنت صحيفة ذا تايمز أزياء جولة ريانا مع أزياء جانيت جاكسون. أدائها لأغنية "دستربيا" في حفل جوائز إم تي في للأغاني المصورة لعام (2008) تم إدراجه في المركز العاشر في قائمة أفضل عروض هذا الحفل تاريخياً، وفقاً لإستطلاع من مجلة بيلبورد. في عدد أكتوبر (2011) لمجلة فوغ البريطانية، قالت بأن أزيائها، وأدائها، ومظهرها جميعها تمثيل.

Rihanna

Robyn Rihanna Fenty (/riˈænə/ ree-AN-ə;[3][Note 1] born February 20, 1988[4]) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, fashion designer, actress and philanthropist. She is known for embracing various musical styles and reinventing her image throughout her career.

Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the US in 2005, when she signed with Def Jam Recordings to pursue a music career. Rihanna earned significant recognition following the release of her first two studio albums Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl like Me (2006), both of which were influenced by Caribbean music and peaked within the top ten of the US Billboard 200 chart. Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), incorporated more elements of dance-pop and catapulted her to greater stardom, establishing her status as a sex symbol and a leading figure in the music industry. Its international chart-topping single "Umbrella" earned Rihanna her first Grammy Award, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Rihanna extended her fusion of pop, dance and R&B on her next four studio albums, Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011) and the Grammy Award-winning Unapologetic (2012). All four releases incorporated experimentation of various musical styles and consolidated Rihanna's international chart success, Unapologetic being her first number-one album in the US. The records spawned a string of chart-topping singles, including "Rude Boy", "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", "S&M", "We Found Love", "Diamonds" and "Stay". Her eighth studio album, Anti (2016), showcased her control over artistic creativity after her departure from Def Jam. It became her second US number-one album and featured the chart-topping single "Work". Besides solo materials, Rihanna is a prolific featured artist, having collaborated with such musicians as Drake, Eminem and Calvin Harris to similar success.

Having sold over 250 million records, Rihanna is one of the world's best-selling music artists. She has earned 14 number-one singles and 31 top-ten singles in the US, and 30 top-ten entries in the UK. Her accolades include nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, and six Guinness World Records. Forbes ranked her among the top ten highest-paid celebrities in 2012 and 2014, and Time named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world twice (2012 and 2018). Alongside a successful music career, Rihanna is well known for her involvement in humanitarian causes, entrepreneurial ventures and the fashion industry. She is the founder of nonprofit organization Clara Lionel Foundation, cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, and fashion house Fenty under LVMH. In 2018, the Government of Barbados appointed her as an ambassador with duties promoting education, tourism and investment.
1988–2003: Early life
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, the daughter of accountant Monica (née Braithwaite) and warehouse supervisor Ronald Fenty. She is of Afro-Barbadian, Afro-Guyanese and Irish descent.[5][6] Rihanna has two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty, and two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's side, each born to different mothers from his previous relationships.[7][8] She grew up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and sold clothes with her father in a stall on the street. Her childhood was deeply affected by her father's alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction, which contributed to her parents' strained marriage. Rihanna's father used to beat her mother and she would try to get in between them to break up fights.[9]

As a child, Rihanna had many CT scans for the excruciating headaches she suffered: "The doctors even thought it was a tumor, because it was that intense."[7] By the time she was 14, her parents had divorced and her health began to improve.[6][10] She grew up listening to reggae music.[7][11] She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School and Combermere High School, where she studied alongside future international cricketers Chris Jordan and Carlos Brathwaite.[12][7] Rihanna was an army cadet in a sub-military programme, where the singer-songwriter Shontelle was her drill sergeant.[13] Although she initially wanted to graduate from high school, she chose to pursue a musical career instead.[14]

In 2003, Rihanna formed a musical trio with two of her classmates.[7] She was discovered in her home country of Barbados by American record producer Evan Rogers. Without a name or any material, the girl group managed to land an audition with Rogers who commented, "The minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist."[7] Rihanna went to Rogers's hotel room, where she performed renditions of Destiny's Child's "Emotion" and Mariah Carey's "Hero".[15] Impressed, Rogers scheduled a second meeting with Rihanna's mother present and then invited Rihanna to his hometown in the United States to record some demo tapes that could be sent to record labels.[15] Recordings were intermittent, taking about a year, because she was only able to record during school holidays. "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time" were two tracks recorded for the demo tape, which were eventually included on her debut album Music of the Sun.[16][17] That same year, Rihanna was signed to Rogers' and Carl Sturken's production company, Syndicated Rhythm Productions.[15]

2004–2006: Career beginnings
Rihanna's demo was shipped out to Def Jam Recordings, where Jay Brown, an A&R executive at the record label, was one of the first to hear the demo. Brown played the demo tape for rapper Jay-Z, who had recently been appointed as president and CEO of Def Jam.[18] When Jay-Z first heard the track "Pon de Replay", he felt the song was too big for her.[19] Despite being skeptical, he invited Rihanna to audition for the label. In early 2005, Rihanna auditioned for Def Jam in New York City, where Jay-Z introduced her to music mogul Antonio "L.A." Reid.[15][20] At the audition, she sang Whitney Houston's cover of "For the Love of You", as well as the demo tracks "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time".[15] Jay-Z was absolutely certain about signing her after she performed her future hit single "Pon de Replay".[19] His boss L.A. Reid was also impressed with her audition, telling Jay-Z not to let Rihanna leave the building until the contract was signed.[21] Reid left it to Jay-Z and his team to close the deal which resulted in a six-album record deal with Def Jam. She waited in Jay-Z's office until three in the morning to get lawyers to draft up a contract because he wanted to prevent her from signing with another label.[19] Rihanna canceled other meetings with record labels and relocated from Barbados to the United States to live with Rogers and his wife.
After signing with Def Jam, Jay-Z and his team did the A&R for Rihanna's debut album and spent the next three months recording and completing her debut album.[21] She worked with different producers to complete her debut studio album, primarily Rogers and his production partner Carl Sturken.[23] With several songs to pick as a lead single, "Pon de Replay" was chosen because it seemed like the best song suited for a summer release.[24] In May 2005, her debut single, "Pon de Replay", was released under her mononym "Rihanna". It charted successfully worldwide, peaking in the top five in fifteen countries, including at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK Singles Chart.[25] The song became a big club hit in the United States, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.[26]

Music of the Sun was released in August 2005. It debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of over 500,000 units.[27] The album sold over 2 million copies worldwide. A second single, "If It's Lovin' that You Want", was not as successful as its predecessor, but reached the top 10 in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.[28] Aside from her work in music, Rihanna made her acting debut in a cameo role in the straight-to-DVD film Bring It On: All or Nothing, released in August 2006.[29]

A month after the release of her debut album, Rihanna began working on her second studio album.[30] A Girl like Me was released in April 2006.[31] Rolling Stone felt that "the burning rock guitar" and haunted strings of some of the album's tracks made "A Girl like Me [...] likable."[32] The album was a commercial success, charting in the top 10 in 13 countries. The album reached No. 1 in Canada and No. 5 in the United Kingdom and the United States, where it sold 115,000 copies in its first week.[27][33] The album became Rihanna's first to be certified Platinum by the RIAA, after selling over 1,000,000 units.[34] Its lead single, "SOS", was an international success, charting in the top five in 11 countries. The song reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and in Australia, her first to reach this chart position.[35] "Unfaithful", the album's second single, reached the top 10 in 18 countries, including No. 1 in Canada and Switzerland.[36] Two more singles were released from the album: "We Ride" and "Break It Off".[37][38]

2007–2008: Breakthrough, Good Girl Gone Bad and new image
In early 2007, Rihanna appeared on the single "Roll It" with Jamaican band J-Status and fellow Barbadian singer-songwriter Shontelle. The song appeared on J-Status' debut album The Beginning, released in several European countries only. Around that time, Rihanna had already begun work on her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad.[39] With the help of producers Timbaland, Tricky Stewart and Sean Garrett she embraced a new musical direction through uptempo dance tracks.[40][41] Released in May 2007, the album charted at No. 2 in Australia and the US and topped the charts in multiple countries, including Brazil, Canada, Ireland and the UK.[42] The album received the most positive critical reviews of her first three albums.[43]

The lead single, "Umbrella", topped the charts in 13 countries and remained at No. 1 in the UK for 10 consecutive weeks, the longest-running No. 1 single there since Wet Wet Wet's single "Love Is All Around" spent 15 weeks at the top in 1994.[44][45] It was Rihanna's first single to be named one of the best-selling singles worldwide, with sales of over 8 million copies.[46][47] The songs "Shut Up and Drive", "Hate That I Love You" (featuring Ne-Yo) and "Don't Stop the Music" were also released as singles, with the latter becoming an international hit. In support of the album, Rihanna began the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour in September 2007, with 80 shows across the US, Canada and Europe.[48] Rihanna was nominated for several 2008 Grammy Awards for Good Girl Gone Bad, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella" alongside Jay-Z, her first Grammy Award.
On June 9, 2008, Rihanna released Good Girl Gone Bad Live, her first live long-form video. The DVD and Blu-ray release featured Rihanna's concert at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom, held on December 6, 2007 as part of the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour. The release also contained a special documentary that presented Rihanna discussing her experiences during the tour. By late 2008, Rihanna still remained on the charts with the release of the fifth single from Good Girl Gone Bad, "Rehab", and was named "Diva of the Year" by Entertainment Weekly for her "newfound staying power".[50] Good Girl Gone Bad has sold over 2.8 million units in the United States alone, receiving a two-times-Platinum certification from the RIAA. It is Rihanna's best-selling album in the country to date.[27][51] The album has sold 9 million units worldwide.[52][53]

During the late 2000s, Rihanna experimented further with pop, dubstep and rock music, officially shifting her musical style and image away from the Barbados island girl.[54] Throughout 2008, Rihanna performed on the Glow in the Dark Tour alongside Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and N.E.R.D.[55] Her third studio album's reissue, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, was released in June 2008 with three new songs: "Disturbia", "Take a Bow" and the Maroon 5 duet "If I Never See Your Face Again", plus a Spanglish version of "Hate That I Love You" featuring Spanish pop singer David Bisbal.[56] All four were released as singles and charted highly, reaching peak positions worldwide.[57][58][59] In August 2008, Rihanna and a host of other female singers recorded the charity single "Just Stand Up!", the theme song to the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer.[60] "Live Your Life", a duet between T.I. and Rihanna, was released that November and topped the Billboard Hot 100.

2009–2011: Annual releases and collaborations
On February 8, 2009, Rihanna's scheduled performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards was cancelled.[61] Reports surfaced that then-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, had physically assaulted her. He was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats.[62] On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with assault and for making criminal threats.[63] A leaked photograph from the police department obtained by TMZ.com revealed that Rihanna had sustained visible injuries.[64] A few months after the incident, Rihanna was featured on the single "Run This Town" by Jay-Z, which also featured Kanye West and was released as the second single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3.[65]

In early 2009, Rihanna began working on her fourth studio album, Rated R.[66] Rated R was released in November 2009. The album had Rolling Stone magazine stating that Rihanna "transformed her sound and made one of the best pop records of the year".[67][68] Rated R featured a darker and more foreboding tone than Rihanna's previous albums.[69] Rated R debuted at No. 4 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[70][71][72] The album was supported by six singles, including "Rude Boy", which was the biggest worldwide success from the album, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and reaching top 10 positions in 22 other countries.[73][74] In January 2010, Rihanna released her charity cover version of "Redemption Song" for the Hope for Haiti Now campaign. She also recorded the song "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)" together with Jay-Z, Bono and The Edge for the same campaign to alleviate the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

In summer 2010, Rihanna collaborated with rapper Eminem on "Love the Way You Lie", which was a major worldwide success, reaching No. 1 in over 20 countries.[75] Reaching number 2, the song became the biggest-selling song of 2010 in the UK and the first of Rihanna's singles to sell over a million copies in the country.[76][77] In October 2010, Rihanna switched managers, joining Jay-Z's Roc Nation Management.[78] In late 2010, she was featured on three singles: Kanye West's "All of the Lights", from the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010),[79] Nicki Minaj's "Fly", from her debut studio album Pink Friday (2010)[80] and David Guetta's "Who's That Chick?", from the album One More Love (2010).[
Loud, Rihanna's fifth studio album, was released in November 2010.[82] The album produced three US Billboard Hot 100's. Its lead single, "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", featuring rapper Drake and "S&M", following the release of its official remix featuring Britney Spears.[83][84][85][86] Rihanna set a record as the solo artist with the fastest accumulation of 10 chart toppers in the Hot 100's history.[87] At the 53rd Grammy Awards, "Only Girl (In the World)" won the award for Best Dance Recording.[88]

"Man Down" and "California King Bed" were released as singles in May 2011 with moderate success.[89][90] "Cheers (Drink to That)", which interpolates Avril Lavigne's 2002 single "I'm with You", was released as the seventh and final single from the album.[91] To promote the album, Rihanna embarked on her Loud Tour in June 2011, which sold out 10 nights at The O2 Arena in London, the most sold-out shows for a female artist in the venue's history.[92][93] The tour was the seventh highest-grossing tour worldwide of 2011.[94]

Rihanna's sixth album, Talk That Talk, was released in November 2011.[95] The album debuted at No. 3 in the U.S and number No. 1 in the UK [96] The album's lead single, "We Found Love", topped charts in twenty-seven countries, peaked in the top 10 in 30 countries and broke many chart records worldwide.[97] The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 non-consecutive weeks, becoming Rihanna's longest-running No. 1 single on the chart and the longest-running No. 1 single of 2011 in the US.[98][99] The song was later named the 24th biggest hit of all time on the Billboard Hot 100.[100] "You Da One" and the album's title track, featuring Jay-Z, were released as the second and third singles, to moderate success. "Where Have You Been", the fifth single, successfully charted worldwide, reaching No. 5 in the US and No. 6 in the UK.[101][102] "Cockiness (Love It)" was released as the album's sixth and final single in a remixed form featuring rapper ASAP Rocky
In early 2012, two collaborations featuring Rihanna were released: Coldplay's "Princess of China", from their album Mylo Xyloto, and Drake's "Take Care", from his album of the same name.[104][105] In February 2012, Rihanna won her third Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2012 Grammy Awards for her Kanye West collaboration "All of the Lights" and was voted the Best International Female Solo Artist at the 2012 BRIT Awards for the second consecutive year.[106][107] March 2012 saw the simultaneous releases of two collaborations between Rihanna and Chris Brown: remixes of her song "Birthday Cake" and his "Turn Up the Music". The recordings received mainly negative responses due to the pair's history of domestic violence.[108] In September 2012, "We Found Love" won the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year, making Rihanna the first woman to receive the accolade more than once.[109]

Rihanna's seventh studio album, Unapologetic, was released in November 2012.[110] In the United States, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking Rihanna's first No. 1 album in the country.[111] The lead single from the album, "Diamonds", reached No. 1 in more than 20 countries worldwide, including on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it became Rihanna's 12 No. 1 on the chart.[112] The album's second single, "Stay", featuring Mikky Ekko, reached the top five in over twenty countries, including No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.[113] As promotion prior to the album's release, Rihanna embarked on the 777 Tour, a mini tour of seven shows in seven countries in seven days.[114] On May 6, 2013, Fox aired a documentary about the tour, with a documentary DVD being released the following day as Rihanna's third live long-form video release.[115]

In February 2013 at the 55th Grammy Awards, Rihanna won her sixth Grammy Award, in the category Best Short Form Music Video for "We Found Love" (2011).[116] Also that month, the Official Charts Company in the UK announced that Rihanna had sold 3,868,000 records in the past year in the country, ranking at No. 1 in the list of 2013 BRIT Awards artist nominees.[117] Rihanna's fifth headlining concert tour, the Diamonds World Tour, began in March 2013 in support of Unapologetic.[118] Rihanna then appeared in the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg comedy film This Is the End, which was released in June 2013.[119] That same month, American hip hop artist Wale released a remixed version of his single "Bad" featuring Rihanna.[120]

In October 2013, Eminem released his Rihanna-assisted single, "The Monster", as the fourth release from his eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013). Rihanna appeared on Shakira's single, "Can't Remember to Forget You", the following year.[121] Following the release of Unapologetic and its accompanying tour, Rihanna aimed to take a hiatus from recording music, stating: "I wanted to have a year to just do whatever I want artistically, creatively."[122] In May 2014, Rihanna left Def Jam Recordings to sign fully with Roc Nation, the record label that had managed her career since October 2010.[123]

2015–2017: Standalone releases, Home soundtrack and Anti
A year after Rihanna began working on her eighth studio album, the single "FourFiveSeconds" was released, which featured Rihanna paired up with Kanye West and Paul McCartney.[124] Two further singles followed its release: "Bitch Better Have My Money" and "American Oxygen";[125][126][127] neither made the final track listing for Rihanna's eighth studio album. During the creation of the album, Rihanna ventured into other endeavours and appeared in the voice role of Tip in the animated feature film Home alongside Jim Parsons and Jennifer Lopez, the film was based on The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Rihanna also released a concept album soundtrack for the film.

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (/ˈroʊ.əld ˈdɑːl/;[1] 13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, and fighter pilot.[2] His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.[3]

Born in Wales to Norwegian immigrant parents, Dahl served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He became a flying ace and intelligence officer, rising to the rank of acting wing commander. He rose to prominence as a writer in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and he became one of the world's best-selling authors.[4][5] He has been referred to as "one of the greatest storytellers for children of the 20th century".[6] His awards for contribution to literature include the 1983 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and the British Book Awards' Children's Author of the Year in 1990. In 2008, The Times placed Dahl 16th on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".[7]

Dahl's short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children's books for their unsentimental, macabre, often darkly comic mood, featuring villainous adult enemies of the child characters.[8][9] His books champion the kindhearted, and feature an underlying warm sentiment.[10][11] Dahl's works for children include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG, The Twits and George's Marvellous Medicine. His adult works include Tales of the Unexpected.
Early life
Childhood
Roald Dahl was born in 1916 at Villa Marie, Fairwater Road, in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene Dahl (née Hesselberg).[12] Dahl's father had emigrated to the UK from Sarpsborg in Norway, and settled in Cardiff in the 1880s with his first wife, a Frenchwoman named Marie Beaurin-Gresser. They had two children together, Ellen Marguerite and Louis, before her death in 1907.[13] His mother came over and married his father in 1911. Dahl was named after the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen. His first language was Norwegian, which he spoke at home with his parents and his sisters Astri, Alfhild, and Else. Dahl and his sisters were raised in the Lutheran faith, and were baptised at the Norwegian Church, Cardiff, where their parents worshipped.[14]
In 1920, when Dahl was three years old, his seven-year-old sister, Astri, died from appendicitis. Weeks later, his father died of pneumonia at the age of 57.[16] Later that year, his younger sister Asta was born.[13] With the option of returning to Norway to live with relatives, Dahl's mother decided to remain in Wales. Her husband Harald had wanted their children to be educated in English schools, which he considered the world's best.[17]

Dahl first attended the Cathedral School, Llandaff. At the age of eight, he and four of his friends (one named Thwaites) were caned by the headmaster after putting a dead mouse in a jar of gobstoppers at the local sweet shop,[6] which was owned by a "mean and loathsome" old woman called Mrs Pratchett.[6] The five boys named their prank the "Great Mouse Plot of 1924".[18] Gobstoppers were a favourite sweet among British schoolboys between the two World Wars, and Dahl would refer to them in his creation, Everlasting Gobstopper, which was featured in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.[19]

Dahl transferred to a boarding school in England: St. Peter's in Weston-super-Mare. His parents had wanted him to be educated at an English public school and, because of the regular ferry link across the Bristol Channel, this proved to be the nearest. Dahl's time at St. Peter's was unpleasant; he was very homesick and wrote to his mother every week but never revealed his unhappiness to her. After her death in 1967, he learned that she had saved every one of his letters, in small bundles held together with green tape.[20] In 2016, to mark the centenary of Dahl's birth, his letters to his mother were abridged and broadcast as BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week.[21] Dahl wrote about his time at St. Peter's in his autobiography
From 1929, when he was 13, Dahl attended Repton School in Derbyshire. Dahl disliked the hazing and described an environment of ritual cruelty and status domination, with younger boys having to act as personal servants for older boys, frequently subject to terrible beatings. His biographer Donald Sturrock described these violent experiences in Dahl's early life.[23] Dahl expresses some of these darker experiences in his writings, which is also marked by his hatred of cruelty and corporal punishment.[24]

According to Dahl's autobiography, Boy: Tales of Childhood, a friend named Michael was viciously caned by headmaster Geoffrey Fisher. Writing in that same book, Dahl reflected: “All through my school life I was appalled by the fact that masters and senior boys were allowed literally to wound other boys, and sometimes quite severely... I couldn’t get over it. I never have got over it.”[25] Fisher was later selected as the Archbishop of Canterbury and crowned Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. However, according to Dahl's biographer Jeremy Treglown,[26] the caning took place in May 1933, a year after Fisher had left Repton; the headmaster was in fact J. T. Christie, Fisher's successor as headmaster. Dahl said the incident caused him to "have doubts about religion and even about God".[27]

He was never seen as a particularly talented writer in his school years, with one of his English teachers writing in his school report "I have never met anybody who so persistently writes words meaning the exact opposite of what is intended."[28] Dahl was exceptionally tall, reaching 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) in adult life.[29] He played sports including cricket, football and golf, and was made captain of the squash team.[30] As well as having a passion for literature, he developed an interest in photography and often carried a camera with him.[16]

During his years at Repton, the Cadbury chocolate company would occasionally send boxes of new chocolates to the school to be tested by the pupils.[31] Dahl would dream of inventing a new chocolate bar that would win the praise of Mr Cadbury himself; this inspired him in writing his third children's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), and to refer to chocolate in other children's books.[32]

Throughout his childhood and adolescent years, Dahl spent the majority of his summer holidays with his mother's family in Norway. He wrote about many happy memories from those visits in Boy: Tales of Childhood, such as when he replaced the tobacco in his half-sister's fiancé's pipe with goat droppings.[33] He noted only one unhappy memory of his holidays in Norway: at around the age of eight, he had to have his adenoids removed by a doctor.[34] His childhood and first job selling kerosene in Midsomer Norton and surrounding villages in Somerset are subjects in Boy: Tales of Childhood.[35]

After school
After finishing his schooling, in August 1934 Dahl crossed the Atlantic on the RMS Nova Scotia and hiked through Newfoundland with the Public Schools Exploring Society.[36][37]

In July 1934, Dahl joined the Shell Petroleum Company. Following two years of training in the United Kingdom, he was assigned first to Mombasa, Kenya, then to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika (now Tanzania). Along with the only two other Shell employees in the entire territory, he lived in luxury in the Shell House outside Dar es Salaam, with a cook and personal servants. While out on assignments supplying oil to customers across Tanganyika, he encountered black mambas and lions, among other wildlife.[27]

Fighter ace
In August 1939, as the Second World War loomed, the British made plans to round up the hundreds of Germans living in Dar-es-Salaam. Dahl was commissioned as a lieutenant into the King's African Rifles, commanding a platoon of Askari men, indigenous troops who were serving in the colonial army.[38]

In November 1939, Dahl joined the Royal Air Force as an aircraftman with service number 774022.[39] After a 600-mile (970 km) car journey from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, he was accepted for flight training with sixteen other men, among whom only three survived the war. With seven hours and 40 minutes experience in a De Havilland Tiger Moth, he flew solo;[40] Dahl enjoyed watching the wildlife of Kenya during his flights. He continued to advanced flying training in Iraq, at RAF Habbaniya, 50 miles (80 km) west of Baghdad. Following six months' training on Hawker Harts, Dahl was commissioned as a pilot officer on 24 August 1940, and was judged ready to join a squadron and face the enemy.[39][41]
He was assigned to No. 80 Squadron RAF, flying obsolete Gloster Gladiators, the last biplane fighter aircraft used by the RAF. Dahl was surprised to find that he would not receive any specialised training in aerial combat, or in flying Gladiators. On 19 September 1940, Dahl was ordered to fly his Gladiator by stages from Abu Sueir (near Ismailia, in Egypt) to 80 Squadron's forward airstrip 30 miles (48 km) south of Mersa Matruh. On the final leg he could not find the airstrip and, running low on fuel and with night approaching, he was forced to attempt a landing in the desert.[42] The undercarriage hit a boulder and the aircraft crashed. Dahl's skull was fractured and his nose was smashed; he was temporarily blinded.[43] He managed to drag himself away from the blazing wreckage and passed out. He wrote about the crash in his first published work.[43]

Dahl was rescued and taken to a first-aid post in Mersa Matruh, where he regained consciousness, but not his sight. He was transported by train to the Royal Navy hospital in Alexandria. There he fell in and out of love with a nurse, Mary Welland. A RAF inquiry into the crash revealed that the location to which he had been told to fly was completely wrong, and he had mistakenly been sent instead to the no man's land between the Allied and Italian forces
In February 1941, Dahl was discharged from hospital and passed fully fit for flying duties. By this time, 80 Squadron had been transferred to the Greek campaign and based at Eleusina, near Athens. The squadron was now equipped with Hawker Hurricanes. Dahl flew a replacement Hurricane across the Mediterranean Sea in April 1941, after seven hours' experience flying Hurricanes. By this stage in the Greek campaign, the RAF had only 18 combat aircraft in Greece: 14 Hurricanes and four Bristol Blenheim light bombers. Dahl flew in his first aerial combat on 15 April 1941, while flying alone over the city of Chalcis. He attacked six Junkers Ju 88s that were bombing ships and shot one down. On 16 April in another air battle, he shot down another Ju 88.[45]

On 20 April 1941, Dahl took part in the Battle of Athens, alongside the highest-scoring British Commonwealth ace of World War II, Pat Pattle, and Dahl's friend David Coke. Of 12 Hurricanes involved, five were shot down and four of their pilots killed, including Pattle. Greek observers on the ground counted 22 German aircraft downed, but because of the confusion of the aerial engagement, none of the pilots knew which aircraft they had shot down. Dahl described it as "an endless blur of enemy fighters whizzing towards me from every side".[46][47]

In May, as the Germans were pressing on Athens, Dahl was evacuated to Egypt. His squadron was reassembled in Haifa. From there, Dahl flew sorties every day for a period of four weeks, shooting down a Vichy French Air Force Potez 63 on 8 June and another Ju 88 on 15 June, but he began to get severe headaches that caused him to black out. He was invalided home to Britain. Though at this time Dahl was only a pilot officer on probation, in September 1941 he was simultaneously confirmed as a pilot officer and promoted to war substantive flying officer.[48]

Diplomat, writer and intelligence officer
After being invalided home, Dahl was posted to an RAF training camp in Uxbridge. He attempted to recover his health enough to become an instructor.[49] In late March 1942, while in London, he met the Under-Secretary of State for Air, Major Harold Balfour, at his club. Impressed by Dahl's war record and conversational abilities, Balfour appointed the young man as assistant air attaché at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. Initially resistant, Dahl was finally persuaded by Balfour to accept, and took passage on the SS Batori from Glasgow a few days later. He arrived in Halifax, Canada, on 14 April, after which he took a sleeper train to Montreal.[50]

Coming from war-starved Britain, Dahl was amazed by the wealth of food and amenities to be had in North America.[51] Arriving in Washington a week later, Dahl found he liked the atmosphere of the US capital. He shared a house with another attaché at 1610 34th Street, NW, in Georgetown. But after ten days in his new posting, Dahl strongly disliked it, feeling he had taken on "a most ungodly unimportant job".[52] He later explained, "I'd just come from the war. People were getting killed. I had been flying around, seeing horrible things. Now, almost instantly, I found myself in the middle of a pre-war cocktail party in America."[53]

Dahl was unimpressed by his office in the British Air Mission, attached to the embassy. He was also unimpressed by the ambassador, Lord Halifax, with whom he sometimes played tennis and whom he described as "a courtly English gentleman". Dahl socialized with Charles E. Marsh, a Texas publisher and oilman, at his house at 2136 R Street, NW, and the Marsh country estate in Virginia.[44][54] As part of his duties as assistant air attaché, Dahl was to help neutralise the isolationist views still held by many Americans by giving pro-British speeches and discussing his war service; the United States had entered the war only the previous December, following the attack on Pearl Harbor.[55]

At this time Dahl met the noted British novelist C. S. Forester, who was also working to aid the British war effort. Forester worked for the British Ministry of Information and was writing propaganda for the Allied cause, mainly for American consumption.[56] The Saturday Evening Post had asked Forester to write a story based on Dahl's flying experiences; Forester asked Dahl to write down some RAF anecdotes so that he could shape them into a story. After Forester read what Dahl had given him, he decided to publish the story exactly as Dahl had written it.[57] He originally titled the article as "A Piece of Cake" but the magazine changed it to "Shot Down Over Libya" to make it sound more dramatic, although Dahl had not been shot down; it was published in the 1 August 1942 issue of the Post. Dahl was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) in August 1942.[58] Later he worked with such other well-known British officers as Ian Fleming (who later published the popular James Bond series) and David Ogilvy, promoting Britain's interests and message in the US and combating the "America First" movement.[55]

This work introduced Dahl to espionage and the activities of the Canadian spymaster William Stephenson, known by the codename "Intrepid".[59] During the war, Dahl supplied intelligence from Washington to Prime Minister Winston Churchill. As Dahl later said: "My job was to try to help Winston to get on with FDR, and tell Winston what was in the old boy's mind."[57] Dahl also supplied intelligence to Stephenson and his organisation, known as British Security Coordination, which was part of MI6.[54] Dahl was once sent back to Britain by British Embassy officials, supposedly for misconduct—"I got booted out by the big boys," he said. Stephenson promptly sent him back to Washington—with a promotion to wing commander rank.[60] Toward the end of the war, Dahl wrote some of the history of the secret organisation; he and Stephenson remained friends for decades after the war.[61]

Upon the war's conclusion, Dahl held the rank of a temporary wing commander (substantive flight lieutenant). Owing to the severity of his injuries from the 1940 accident, he was pronounced unfit for further service and was invalided out of the RAF in August 1946. He left the service with the substantive rank of squadron leader.[62] His record of five aerial victories, qualifying him as a flying ace, has been confirmed by post-war research and cross-referenced in Axis records. It is most likely that he scored more than those victories during 20 April 1941, when 22 German aircraft were shot down.[63]

Post-war life
Dahl married American actress Patricia Neal on 2 July 1953 at Trinity Church in New York City. Their marriage lasted for 30 years and they had five children:

Olivia Twenty (20 April 1955 – 17 November 1962);
Chantal Sophia "Tessa" (born 1957), who became an author, and mother of author, cookbook writer and former model Sophie Dahl (after whom Sophie in The BFG is named).;[64]
Theo Matthew (born 1960);
Ophelia Magdalena (born 1964);
and Lucy Neal (born 1965).[65]
On 5 December 1960, four-month-old Theo Dahl was severely injured when his baby carriage was struck by a taxicab in New York City. For a time, he suffered from hydrocephalus. As a result, his father became involved in the development of what became known as the "Wade-Dahl-Till" (or WDT) valve, a device to improve the shunt used to alleviate the condition.[66][67] The valve was a collaboration between Dahl, hydraulic engineer Stanley Wade, and London's Great Ormond Street Hospital neurosurgeon Kenneth Till, and was used successfully on almost 3,000 children around the world.[68]

In November 1962, Dahl's daughter Olivia died of measles encephalitis, age seven. Her death left Dahl "limp with despair", and feeling guilty about not having been able to do anything for her.[68] Dahl subsequently became a proponent of immunisation and dedicated his 1982 book The BFG to his daughter.[69][70] After Olivia's death and a meeting with a Church official, Dahl came to view Christianity as a sham.[71] While mourning her loss, he had sought spiritual guidance from Geoffrey Fisher, the former Archbishop of Canterbury. He was dismayed by Fisher telling him that, although Olivia was in Paradise, her beloved dog Rowley would never join her there.[71] Dahl recalled years later: “I wanted to ask him how he could be so absolutely sure that other creatures did not get the same special treatment as us. I sat there wondering if this great and famous churchman really knew what he was talking about and whether he knew anything at all about God or heaven, and if he didn't, then who in the world did?[71]

In 1965, his wife Patricia Neal suffered three burst cerebral aneurysms while pregnant with their fifth child, Lucy. Dahl took control of her rehabilitation over the next months; Neal had to re-learn to talk and walk, but she managed to return to her acting career.[72] This period of their lives was dramatised in the film The Patricia Neal Story (1981), in which the couple were played by Glenda Jackson and Dirk Bogarde
Neal and Dahl divorced in 1983. He married Felicity d'Abreu Crosland, niece of Francis D'Abreu who was married to Margaret Ann Bowes Lyon - 1st cousin of the late Queen Mother, at Brixton Town Hall, South London. Dahl and Crosland had previously been in a relationship.[74] Felicity (known as Liccy) gave up her job and moved into "Gipsy House", Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, which had been Dahl's home since 1954.[75]

In 1983 Dahl reviewed Tony Clifton's God Cried, a picture book about the siege of West Beirut by the Israeli army during the 1982 Lebanon War.[76] He wrote that the book would make readers "violently anti-Israeli", stating: "I am not anti-Semitic. I am anti-Israel."[77] Dahl told a reporter in 1983: "There's a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity ... I mean there is always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn't just pick on them for no reason."[77] In 1990, during an interview with The Independent, Dahl explained that his issue with Israel began when they invaded Lebanon in 1982: “they killed 22,000 civilians when they bombed Beirut. It was very much hushed up in the newspapers because they are primarily Jewish-owned. I’m certainly anti-Israeli and I’ve become antisemitic in as much as that you get a Jewish person in another country like England strongly supporting Zionism.”[78] As a result of these views, in 2014 the Royal Mint decided not to produce a coin to commemorate the centenary of Dahl's birth because he was considered to be "associated with antisemitism and not regarded as an author of the highest reputation".[78] Dahl had Jewish friends, including philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin, who commented: "I thought he might say anything. Could have been pro-Arab or pro-Jew. There was no consistent line. He was a man who followed whims, which meant he would blow up in one direction, so to speak."[77] Amelia Foster, director of the Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden, says: "This is again an example of how Dahl refused to take anything seriously, even himself. He was very angry at the Israelis. He had a childish reaction to what was going on in Israel. Dahl wanted to provoke, as he always provoked at dinner. His publisher was a Jew, his agent was a Jew... and he thought nothing but good things of them. He asked me to be his managing director, and I'm Jewish."[79]

In the 1986 New Years Honours List, Dahl was offered an appointment to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), but turned it down. He reportedly wanted a knighthood so that his wife would be Lady Dahl.[80][81] In 2012, Dahl was featured in the list of The New Elizabethans to mark the diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A panel of seven academics, journalists and historians named Dahl among the group of people in the UK "whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on lives in these islands and given the age its character".[82] In September 2016, his daughter Lucy received the BBC's Blue Peter Gold badge in his honour, the first time it has ever been awarded posthumously.[83]

Writing

تومي روبنسون

تومي روبنسون (بالإنجليزية: Tommy Robinson) ناشط يميني بريطاني، مناهض للإسلام، اسمه الحقيقي ستيفن ياكسلي لينون (ولد في 27 نوفمبر 1982)

Tommy Robinson

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (born 27 November 1982), known as Tommy Robinson, is a British far-right anti-Islam activist.[19][20] He is the co-founder and former leader of the English Defence League,[21] and later served as a political advisor to former UKIP leader Gerard Batten.[22]

Robinson has been active in far-right politics for many years. He was a member of the neo-fascist and white nationalist British National Party (BNP) from 2004 to 2005.[23] For a short time in 2012, he was joint vice-chairman of the British Freedom Party (BFP). Robinson led the EDL from 2009 until 8 October 2013. He continued as an activist, and in 2015 became involved with the development of Pegida UK, a British chapter of the German-based far-right organisation Pegida.[24] From 2017 to 2018, Robinson wrote for and appeared in online videos for The Rebel Media, a Canadian far-right political website.

Robinson has accumulated several criminal convictions and has served three terms of imprisoment. His criminal record includes convictions for violence, financial and immigration frauds, drug possession and public order offences. He has been committed to prison for contempt of court.[25][26][27] He has served at least three separate custodial sentences: in 2005 for assault, in 2012 for using false travel documents to enter the United States, and in 2014 for mortgage fraud.[12][15][3] In May 2018, Robinson was committed to prison for 13 months for contempt of court after publishing a Facebook Live video of defendants entering a law court, contravening a court order that disallows reporting on such trials while proceedings are ongoing. On 1 August 2018, due to procedural errors, he was released on bail pending a new hearing of the case.[28] On 5 July 2019, Robinson was again found guilty of contempt of court at the retrial and was committed at the Old Bailey to nine months in prison on 11 July․[29][30] Before his sentencing, Robinson appeared on InfoWars and appealed for political asylum in the United States.[31]

Robinson denies racism and antisemitism,[32] and has declared his support for the Jewish people and Israel, calling himself a Zionist.[33]
Name
Robinson's birth name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley. The name Tommy Robinson is a pseudonym taken from a prominent member of the "Men In Gear" (MIG) football hooligan crew, which follows Luton Town Football Club.[34] The nom de guerre successfully hid Robinson's identity as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and his criminal history, until the connection was uncovered in July 2010 by Searchlight magazine.[21][35]

Robinson has also used the names Andrew McMaster, Paul Harris,[12] Wayne King,[2][36] and Stephen Lennon.[12]

Early life
Robinson was born Stephen Christopher Yaxley[37] in Luton, England. In an interview with Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Radio Five live in 2010, he said that his parents "were Irish immigrants to this country".[38] His mother, who worked at a local bakery,[39] remarried when Robinson was still young; his stepfather, Thomas Lennon,[23] worked at the Vauxhall car plant in Luton.[39]

Robinson married in 2011 and is the father of three children.[5] He managed a tanning salon in Luton.[40][when?]

According to Robinson, after leaving school he applied to study aircraft engineering at Luton Airport: "I got an apprenticeship 600 people applied for, and they took four people on." He qualified in 2003 after five years of study, but then lost his job when he was convicted of assaulting an off-duty police officer in a drunken argument.[39] He served a 12-month prison sentence.[41]

Robinson joined the British National Party, then led by Nick Griffin, in 2004. When questioned about this by journalist Andrew Neil in June 2013, he said that he had left after one year, saying, "I didn't know Nick Griffin was in the National Front, I didn't know non-whites couldn't join the organisation. I joined, I saw what it was about, it was not for me".[23]

Robinson was involved with the group United Peoples of Luton, formed in response to a March 2009 protest against Royal Anglian Regiment troops returning from the Afghan War[42] being attacked by the Islamist groups Al-Muhajiroun and Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah.[43]

English Defence League
Robinson founded the English Defence League (EDL) in 2009 with Kevin Carroll,[44] Robinson's cousin,[45] and became its leader with Carroll as deputy leader.[46] Robinson stated that he had been prompted to found the EDL after he had read a newspaper article about local Islamists attempting to recruit men outside a bakery in Luton to fight for the Taliban in Afghanistan.[39] Robinson has appeared masked at protests.[41] Although Robinson repeatedly insisted from the early days of the organisation that the EDL was "against the rise of radical Islam" and that its members "aren't against Islam", its rank and file were noted for including football hooligans and members who described themselves as anti-Muslim.[34][42] Robinson founded the European Defence League, a co-ordination of groups similar to the EDL operating in different European countries.[24]

Robinson's identity as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was unmasked by Searchlight magazine in July 2010. Yaxley-Lennon's prior criminal history was thereby connected with Robinson.[21][35]

Robinson said he was assaulted on 22 December 2011 after stopping his car due to another car flashing its lights at him. He said that a group of three men attacked and beat him, until they were stopped by the arrival of a "good Samaritan". Robinson said that the attackers were of Asian appearance.[47]

Robinson was convicted in 2011 of using "threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour" during a fight between supporters of Luton Town and Newport County in Luton the previous year. Robinson reportedly led the group of Luton fans, and played an integral part in starting a 100-man brawl, during which he chanted "EDL till I die". He was sentenced to a 12-month community rehabilitation order with 150 hours' unpaid work and a three-year ban from attending football matches.[5][4]

Robinson was arrested again after an EDL demonstration in Tower Hamlets in September 2011 for breach of bail conditions, as he had been banned from attending that demonstration. Robinson later began a hunger strike while on remand in HM Prison Bedford, saying that he was a "political prisoner of the state",[48] and refused to eat what he believed was halal meat.[49] A handful of EDL supporters protested outside the prison in support of Robinson during his incarceration; the support peaked at a turnout of 100 protesters on 10 September.[50] Robinson was released on bail on 12 September.[51]

On 29 September 2011, Robinson was convicted of common assault after headbutting a fellow EDL member at a rally in Blackburn in April that year.[7][4] He was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.[8]

On 8 November 2011, Robinson held a protest on the rooftop of the FIFA headquarters in Zürich against FIFA's ruling that the England national football team could not wear a Remembrance poppy symbol on their shirts.[4] For this he was fined £3,000 and jailed for three days.[52]

In 2012 Robinson announced that he had joined the British Freedom Party (BFP). He was appointed its joint vice-chairman along with Carroll after the EDL and the BFP agreed an electoral pact in 2011.[53] However, on 11 October 2012, Robinson resigned from the BFP to concentrate on EDL activities.[54]

Leaving the EDL
In April 2012, Robinson took part in a programme in the BBC's television series The Big Questions in which far-right extremism was debated. Mo Ansar, a British Muslim political and social commentator, took part in the same programme, and invited Robinson to join him and his family for dinner. This resulted in several meetings over the next 18 months between Robinson and Ansar to discuss Islam, Islamism and the Muslim community, accompanied by a BBC team which created the documentary When Tommy Met Mo.[55][56] On 8 October 2013, Quilliam held a press conference with Robinson and the EDL's deputy leader Kevin Carroll to announce that Robinson and Carroll had left the EDL. Robinson said that he had been considering leaving for a long time because of concerns over the "dangers of far-right extremism".[57][58] Robinson said: "I acknowledge the dangers of far-right extremism and the ongoing need to counter Islamist ideology not with violence but with better, democratic ideas".[59] Ten other senior figures left the EDL with Robinson and Carroll, and Tim Ablitt became the EDL's new leader.[57][44]

When Robinson was questioned by The Guardian about having blamed "'every single Muslim' for 'getting away' with the 7 July bombings, and for calling Islam a fascist and violent religion, he held up his hands and said, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'" Robinson also said that he would now give evidence to the police to help in their investigation of racists within the EDL. Robinson added that "his future work would involve taking on radicalism on all fronts".[60][55] Robinson said in his autobiography that he was paid £2,000 per month for Quilliam to take credit for his leaving the EDL, which a Quilliam spokesperson denied.[61][62]

Later activities
Robinson spoke at the Oxford Union on 26 November 2014. Unite Against Fascism (UAF) protested against his appearance, criticising the Union for allowing him the platform when, according to UAF, he had not renounced the views of the EDL. Robinson told the audience he was not allowed to talk about certain issues because he was out on prison licence. He said, "I regain my freedom of speech on the 22 July 2015." He criticised "politicians, the media and police for failing to tackle certain criminal activities because of the fear of being labelled Islamophobic."[63] He said that Woodhill prison had become "an ISIS training camp", and that radicals were "running the wings".[64]

After release from licence at the end of his sentence, Robinson returned to anti-Islam demonstrations with Pegida UK, a British offshoot of Pegida, a German anti-immigration organisation founded in Dresden amid the European migrant crisis. Addressing a Pegida anti-Islam rally in October 2015, Robinson spoke out against what he perceived to be the threat of Islamist terrorists posing as refugees.[65] He announced the creation of a "British chapter" of Pegida in December 2015. He said that alcohol and fighting would not be permitted because "It's too serious now for that stuff", and told The Daily Telegraph that a mass demonstration would take place across Europe on 6 February 2016.[24] On 14 February 2016, Robinson was attacked and treated at a hospital after leaving a nightclub in Essex.[66]

Robinson wrote an autobiography, Enemy of the State, which was self-published in 2015.
Robinson travelled to watch UEFA Euro 2016 in France and demonstrated with a T-shirt and English flag ridiculing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Bedfordshire Police imposed a football banning order on him on his return; his solicitor Alison Gurden accused the police of equating the proscribed terrorist group with all Muslims in their action. In September, a judge at Luton Magistrates' Court dismissed the case, calling the prosecution's evidence "vague" and "cagey".[69]

On 27 August 2016, 18 Luton Town football supporters, including Robinson and his family, were ejected by police from a Cambridge pub on the day of the Cambridge United versus Luton football match. Robinson claimed he had been victimised, and complaints were submitted to Cambridge Police.[70] In March 2019, at Peterborough County Court, Robinson accused Cambridgeshire Constabulary of harassment, direct discrimination, humiliation, stress, anxiety, and breach of human rights namely, the right to family life, right to freedom of conscience or religion and freedom of expression. The claims related to police behaviour around Robinson's possibly being issued a section 35 dispersal order at the pub after the match in 2016. The court rejected Robinson's claims and ordered him to pay £20,000 towards costs. Robinson said he would appeal against the ruling.[71]

Robinson was a correspondent for The Rebel Media, a Canadian far-right website.[72] In May 2017, he was arrested for contempt of court after he attempted to take video of the defendants in an ongoing rape trial outside Canterbury Crown Court.[73][74]

Robinson's second self-published book, Mohammed's Koran: Why Muslims Kill For Islam was co-authored with Peter McLoughlin and released in 2017.[75] Amazon has refused to sell it.[76]

Robinson was involved in a fist fight at Royal Ascot later in June 2017, for which Piers Morgan criticised him on Twitter.[77]

In March 2018, Robinson attended court in support of Mark Meechan, who had been charged for a hate crime after posting footage online of a dog performing Nazi salutes in response to the phrases "gas the Jews" and "Sieg Heil". Meechan was found guilty because the video was "antisemitic and racist in nature" and was aggravated by religious prejudice.[78] Meechan said that the video was taken out of context and was a joke to annoy his girlfriend.[79]

Actions relating to Finsbury Park terrorist attack
It was revealed in court that the perpetrator of London's 2017 Finsbury Park mosque terrorist attack received emails from Robinson and read Robinson's tweets in the lead-up to the attack. Robinson's tweet mocking people for responding to terrorism with the phrase "don't look back in anger" was found in the note at the scene of the attack. An email from Robinson's account to the attacker Darren Osborne shortly before read, "Dear Darren, you know about the terrible crimes committed against [name redacted] of Sunderland. Police let the suspects go… why? It is because the suspects are refugees from Syria and Iraq. It's a national outrage…" Another email read, "There is a nation within a nation forming just beneath the surface of the UK. It is a nation built on hatred, on violence and on Islam."[80]

Robinson responded on Twitter to the Finsbury Park attack, writing, "The mosque where the attack happened tonight has a long history of creating terrorists & radical jihadists & promoting hate & segregation," and, "I'm not justifying it, I've said many times if government or police don't sort these centres of hate they will create monsters as seen tonight." Robinson's statements were widely criticised in the media as inciting hatred.[81] Appearing the next morning on Good Morning Britain, Robinson held up the Quran and described it as a "violent and cursed book". The host, Piers Morgan, accused him of "stirring up hatred like a bigoted lunatic", and Robinson's appearance drew a number of complaints to Ofcom.[82]

Commander Dean Haydon of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command said that online material from Robinson had played a "significant role" in how Osborne was radicalised and "brainwashed".[83] Mark Rowley, the outgoing Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the UK's most senior counter-terror officer said that there is "no doubt" that material posted online by people including Robinson drove the Finsbury Park terror attacker to targeting Muslims.[84] In response, Robinson said "I'm gonna find Mark Rowley."[85]

Almondbury Community School assault and legal action against Robinson
See also: Almondbury Community School bullying incident
After a Syrian refugee boy was assaulted in a school bullying incident in October 2018, Robinson falsely accused the victim of having previously attacked two schoolgirls.

The 15-year-old refugee was dragged to the floor by his neck and told by his attacker, "I'll drown you", while water was forced into his mouth. The boy's arm was in a cast after it had been broken in a separate assault.[86] His sister had also been assaulted.[87]

A 16-year-old boy believed to be the attacker, who was interviewed by police and given a court summons, had shared numerous social media posts by Robinson.[86] On Facebook, Robinson subsequently posted a screenshot of a message from a mother saying her daughter had been bullied and he accused the refugee of being the bully. However, the mother responded on Robinson's Facebook page informing him this was false.[88] Robinson also made a false allegation using a photo stolen from a news article on a teenage cancer patient.[89]

These events forced the refugee's family to relocate because "the level of abuse the children have received has become too much".[90] The family decided to move elsewhere in West Yorkshire.[91]

Robinson may have breached court orders preventing the naming of the alleged perpetrator in several videos on Facebook and Instagram, including one that has been viewed more than 150,000 times. A lawyer said in doing so Robinson had "compounded" the refugee's suffering, adding "many people on social media having viewed Mr Yaxley-Lennon’s [Robinson's] lies believed them and expressed their outrage toward Jamal [the refugee]."[92]

In January 2019, the refugee said returning to Almondbury Community School was still too dangerous. He described living in fear after Robinson's postings because "there are people who hang around outside my house and video me on their phones. They call me 'little rat' if I go outside. One of my neighbours threatened me outside my house just yesterday."[93] His lawyers said Robinson's postings had made him "the focus of countless messages of hate and threats from the extreme right wing" and led to a police safety warning.[94]

After receiving a letter from lawyers representing the refugee boy's family, pointing out that the videos Robinson had posted "contain a number of false and defamatory allegations", Robinson admitted to his followers that it was fake news and claimed that he had been duped: "I have been completely had, how embarrassing man."[95] Robinson deleted the videos and admitted to posting a fake photograph purporting to show violence by a Muslim gang.[96] He was warned about legal action for defamation. In response to allegations from Robinson's supporters that this warning "blocked" free speech, Jamil's lawyer said, "Tommy Robinson thinks it is a good idea to defame this 15-year-old boy and accuse him of being the author of his own bullying. It is actually sickening."[97] On 15 May 2019, Jamil's lawyer said that Jamil was suing Robinson for "defamatory comments" Robinson had made.[98]

It was reported that Facebook protects prominent figures such as Robinson from the normal rules of moderation that would usually see a page removed after posting content that violates its rules. Solicitors representing the victim are pursuing legal action against the social media firm on the basis Facebook was responsible for Robinson's posts as it had given him "special treatment [that] seems to be financially driven".[93] However, on 26 February 2019, Facebook announced that it had banned Robinson from the service for violating Facebook community standards and "posting material that uses dehumanizing language and calls for violence targeted at Muslims". It also cited violations of policies concerning "organized hate".[99]

Other social media activity
In March 2018, Robinson was permanently banned from the microblogging site Twitter for violating its rules on "hateful conduct".[100]

In January 2019, YouTube announced that it had removed adverts from Robinson's account, saying that he had breached the site's guidelines.[101]

In January 2019, Robinson livestreamed himself causing a lockdown, by leading a group that surrounded a library where the Glasgow South MP, Stewart McDonald, was holding a surgery. The group included the convicted armed kidnapper Daniel Thomas. The library was reportedly bombarded with phone calls. McDonald was eventually escorted away by police and he said the group blocked emergency exits.[102]

In February 2019, using his Facebook account, Robinson wrote "I guess it's ok to rape white women then?" next to a Rape Crisis flyer about specialist services for ethnic minority victims, resulting in hundreds of racist and abusive phone calls to the centre from Robinson's supporters. The centre, which was providing support for rape victims of all ethnic backgrounds, condemned Robinson's post for "disrupting much-needed service provision for victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse of all ethnicities and backgrounds". The centre included specialised services for ethnic minorities because "some groups of women who have survived sexual violence and abuse can face additional barriers to accessing services, including related to language and to the fear and/or past or current experience of racism and racial discrimination".[103]

In February 2019, Facebook and Instagram banned him from their platforms citing violations of their hate speech rules including "calls for violence targeted at Muslims".[104]

On 4 March 2019, at 11pm, Robinson arrived uninvited outside the home of a journalist who covers far-right issues and attempted to intimidate him. Robinson revealed the journalist's address on a livestream and threatened to reveal the addresses of other journalists. He left after police arrived, but returned at 5am.[105][106] Robinson said this was an act of retaliation for having been served a legal letter at his parents-in-law's home, an act which he said was videoed and which he described as harassment.[105][107] Robinson gave no indication that the journalist he attempted to intimidate had been involved in that alleged act.[105] The journalist said the letter had been given to a police officer 50 metres from the house in question.[105]

In April 2019, YouTube restricted Robinson's account due to its "borderline content", placing its content "behind an interstitial [warning page], removed from recommendations, and stripped of key features including livestreaming, comments, suggested videos, and likes".[108]

On 5 April 2019, Snapchat terminated Robinson's account for violating their community guidelines, which prohibit hate speech and harassment.[109]

Political activities
From 2004 to 2005, Robinson was a member of the far-right British National Party (BNP).[23]

In September 2018, Robinson expressed a desire to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP). On 23 November 2018, UKIP leader Gerard Batten appointed Robinson as his own advisor.[110] In response, the former UKIP leader Nigel Farage described Robinson as a "thug" and said he was heartbroken with the direction UKIP was going.[111] Farage and a Welsh Assembly member called for Batten to be removed as leader.[110] At a UKIP meeting on 30 November, Robinson sat with Daniel Thomas, a convicted kidnapper.[112]

Many prominent UKIP members, including eight of its MEPs, resigned from the party in response to Robinson's appointment. Of the eight MEPs who left, two were former party leaders. One was the UKIP's leader in Scotland; and another was Nigel Farage, who said Robinson and his associates brought "scuffles" and "violence" into the party and "many have criminal records, some pretty serious".[113]

UKIP's rules deny membership to those who have been part of extreme right-wing groups in the past: these preclude Robinson from joining, as he founded the English Defence League (EDL), had been a member of the British National Party, and has had ties with the British Freedom Party. UKIP's National Executive Committee considered waiving that clause for Robinson as a special case. If approved, his possible membership would be put to a vote at the party's conference.[114] UKIP leader Batten supported Robinson joining the party, while UKIP Welsh Assembly members Michelle Brown and David Rowlands said they opposed it.[115]

On 25 April 2019, Robinson announced that he would be an independent candidate in the May 2019 European Parliament election in North West England.[116] It was reported Anne Marie Waters, leader of the far-right For Britain party, promised Robinson the support of her party.[117] Two people were hospitalised when Robinson campaigned as an MEP candidate in Warrington, Cheshire on 2 May. His security team and supporters physically attacked anti-racism activists, with one anti-racism activist saying she suffered a broken nose. Police launched an investigation into the violence.[118] Robinson finished eighth in the election with 38,908 votes (2.2%), widely described as "humiliating" in the media, and losing his deposit.[119] He said he had faced a "near impossible task" in attempting to win a seat, as he was "unable to get across his message on social media platforms" after being banned by almost all such platforms.[120] He subsequently demanded a second vote in an uploaded video.[121]

Financial support
Robinson has received in excess of £2m in donations and sponsorship, much of it from foreign sources.

In 2017, American billionaire Robert Shillman funded a paid fellowship at the rightwing Canadian website Rebel Media, with Robinson receiving over $6,000 (£5,000) per month.[122]

In 2018, Robinson received £2m in donations that were sought by opponents of his imprisonment.[123] In July 2018, Middle East Forum, a US think tank that was described as "fomenting anti-Muslim sentiment", said it had been funding rallies in Robinson's support and paying legal costs in his appeal against his prison sentence.[124] He also received funding from the rightwing group Yellow Vest Australia.[122]

For several months in late 2018, Robinson used Facebook's donations feature that was intended for charities to instead collect money for a new conspiracy theory website and to fund legal action against the British government in relation to his own prison treatment. Within hours of learning of the charity feature's misuse, Facebook removed the button from Robinson's page.[122]

In November 2018, PayPal told Robinson that it would no longer process payments on his behalf, saying that "Striking the necessary balance between upholding free expression and open dialogue and protecting principles of tolerance, diversity and respect for all people is a challenge that many companies are grappling with today." Robinson described the decision as "fascism".[125] The service said it cannot "be used to promote hate, violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory".[126]

Contempt proceedings
On 10 May 2017, Robinson was charged with contempt of court. He had filmed inside Canterbury Crown Court and posted prejudicial statements calling the defendants "Muslim child rapists" while the jury was deliberating. Judge Heather Norton said Robinson used "pejorative language in his broadcast which prejudged the outcome of the case and could have had the effect of substantially derailing the trial".[16] She added, "this is not about free speech, not about the freedom of the press, nor about legitimate journalism, and not about political correctness. It is about justice and ensuring that a trial can be carried out justly and fairly, it's about being innocent until proven guilty. It is about preserving the integrity of the jury to continue without people being intimidated or being affected by irresponsible and inaccurate 'reporting', if that's what it was".[127] The court then wrongly stated that Robinson had been sentenced to three months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months and entered that incorrect result in the court records. In law, he had been committed to prison for a period of three months but suspended that committal for eighteen months. That technical error, the distinction between committed to prison and sentenced to imprisonment was identified and corrected by the Court of Appeal.[128] The incorrect result was reported in press accounts.[16][129] The ramifications of this technical error came into effect in 2018 when the suspended prison sentence was activated. Robinson was again found to be in contempt of court at Leeds, again wrongly given a sentence of imprisonment and the Canterbury suspended sentence activated.[128] Both sentences were for the offence of contempt of court, which can include speeches or publications that create a "substantial risk that the course of justice in the proceedings in question will be seriously impeded or prejudiced".[127] He was later released following a successful challenge to the court's sentencing procedure.[16] A rehearing was ordered.

2018 imprisonment
Robinson was jailed and later released in mid-2018 for almost collapsing the Huddersfield grooming gang trial.[16][130]

On 25 May 2018, Robinson was arrested for a breach of the peace while live streaming outside Leeds Crown Court[127][131] during the trial of the Huddersfield grooming gang on which reporting restrictions had been ordered by the judge.[132] Following Robinson's arrest, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC[133] issued a further reporting restriction on Robinson's case, prohibiting any reporting of Robinson's case or the grooming trial until the latter case was complete.[134][131]

The reporting restriction with regard to Robinson was lifted on 29 May 2018, following a challenge by journalists. The media reported that Robinson had admitted contempt of court by publishing information that could prejudice an ongoing trial, and had been jailed for 13 months.[72] Judge Marson sentenced Robinson to ten months for contempt of court and his previous three months' suspended sentence was activated because of the breach. Robinson's lawyer said that Robinson felt "deep regret" after comprehending the potential consequences of his behaviour.[133] Having breached a temporary section 4 (2) order under the Contempt of Court Act 1981,[135] Robinson was told that if a retrial had to be held as a result of his actions the cost could be "hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds". Dominic Casciani, the BBC's home affairs correspondent, said, "This is not some new form of censorship directed at Robinson. These are rules that apply to us all, equally. If he is unsure about that, he's now got time on his hands to read a copy of Essential Law for Journalists."[133][136]

Actions of supporters
The jailing of Robinson drew condemnation from right-wing circles.[137] The UK Independence Party leader Gerard Batten MEP expressed concern about the proceedings and the ban on reporting.[138] Robinson attracted sympathy from several right-wing politicians in Europe, including the Dutch Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders[131] and the member of the German Bundestag for the far-right Alternative for Germany Petr Bystron.[139]

On the weekends following Robinson's arrest, his supporters held rallies in his support.[131][140] Demonstrators prevented a Muslim woman from driving a bus,[141] performed Nazi salutes, threw scaffolding, glass bottles and street furniture at police and damaged vehicles and buildings.[142]

An online petition for his release had more than 500,000 signatures.[143] Anti-fascist advocacy group Hope not Hate said its analysis showed that 68.1% of the signatures were from the UK, with 9.7% from Australia, and 9.3% from the US. Canada, Germany, France, New Zealand, Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland accounted for the remainder.[144]

In mid–June Robinson was transferred from HMP Hull to HMP Onley.[145][146] Muslim population was about 7.4%[147] in HMP Hull, 30.4%[147][148] in HMP Onley and 16%[149] average in England & Wales prisons. Robinson's manager, Caolan Robertson, spread false information substantially exaggerating the Muslim population of a prison to which Robinson was moved. Robertson told the InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones that Robinson's new prison was "about 71 per cent Muslim" and therefore "really, really, really disastrous"; the actual percentage of Muslims in the prison he was reportedly moved to was 14.3%. This falsehood was also propagated by the InfoWars writer Paul Joseph Watson. The former Breitbart editor Raheem Kassam tweeted it to his followers while falsely accusing the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, of moving Robinson there.[147] Javid subsequently received a death threat referring to Robinson.[150]

In July 2018, Reuters reported that the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, lobbied the UK government on the treatment of Robinson.[151] The Middle East Forum has also lobbied the United States government and provided financial aid for rallies and legal aid.[152]

Appeal hearing
Robinson lodged an appeal initially against the proceedings at Leeds but much later against convictions both at Canterbury and Leeds.[153] The Court of Appeal agreed to hear Robinson's appeal out of time because Robinson had been held in "effective solitary confinement", which had made it difficult for Robinson to have meetings with his lawyers.[154] The matter came before the Lord Chief Justice and two others at the Court of Appeal on 18 July 2018. Robinson claimed that he had not admitted the charges at Leeds nor had he been given a chance to apologise. His lawyer claimed that his initial contempt hearing was flawed; the details of the charge were not clear. He argued that his sentence was unfair.[155] The court issued its ruling on 1 August 2018. In essence, the appeal against the proceedings at Canterbury failed and the appeal in respect of the Leeds' proceedings succeeded.

The court analysed the differences that arise from a prison sentence for a criminal offence and those from committal to prison for contempt. Of the mistakes made at Canterbury, the Court of Appeal learnt that those representing Robinson had been aware of the procedural errors. "It lies ill in the mouth of an appellant to complain of the failure of the court below to follow the appropriate procedural steps when that failure was fully appreciated at the time and remained deliberately uncorrected for tactical reasons and collateral advantage."[128]:54 In respect of the Leeds contempt the court stated, "We are satisfied that the decision at Leeds Crown Court to proceed to committal to prison so promptly and without due regard for Part 48 of the Rules gave rise to unfairness. There was no clarity about what parts of the video were relied upon as amounting to contempt, what parts the appellant accepted through his counsel amounted to contempt and for what conduct he was sentenced."[128]:83

It was ordered that the records of the Crown Court at Canterbury and at Leeds be amended to show that Robinson had been committed to prison for contempt of court, not sentenced to imprisonment. It was ordered the matter be reheard at the Old Bailey before the Recorder of London "as soon as reasonably possible."[128]:86 Robinson was released on bail.[128]:86

Aftermath of imprisonment
On 2 August 2018, Robinson was interviewed on Tucker Carlson Tonight.[156] During the interview, Robinson mainly discussed his two months in prison. He said that he was initially put in HM Prison Hull, where he was treated well. He was then transferred to HM Prison Onley, where, he claimed, he was severely mistreated, including with solitary confinement. The prison service rejected his claims saying, "Mr Yaxley-Lennon [i.e. Robinson] was treated with the same fairness we aim to show all prisoners – he had access to visits, television and showers – and it is totally false to say he was held in 'solitary confinement'", adding that he had been kept in a care and separation unit for 48 hours whilst an assessment was made of his safety.[146]

In October 2018, further controversy arose after Robinson posted a joint photo with two dozen young British Army "recruits" as he described them. He also posted on his Facebook page a video of the occasion in which the soldiers allegedly cheered him shouting his name. The British Army launched an investigation into the matter, saying, "Far-right ideology is completely at odds with the values and ethos of the armed forces. The armed forces have robust measures in place to ensure those exhibiting extremist views are neither tolerated nor permitted to serve."[157] The Government's lead counter-extremism commissioner praised the army's response, saying, "This is typical of the far right. They manipulate and exploit their way into the mainstream, often targeting the military and co-opting its symbols. Tommy Robinson's attention-seeking is cover for divisive anti-Muslim hatred that is causing real harm to individuals, communities and society in general."[158]

Reporting restrictions were lifted on the three Huddersfield grooming gang trials after the jury reached a verdict in the final trial. The Yorkshire Evening Post explained that it abided by the temporary restrictions because "If we had reported on the first trial then jurors may have been swayed in the second trial – a defence lawyer would argue that their clients could not get a fair hearing ... the whole trial could have collapsed ... a judge may have had to rule that they could not get a fair trial and those girls would NEVER have seen the men brought to justice".[130]

Also in October 2018, U.S. Republican Party congressman Paul Gosar and six other members of congress invited Robinson to speak at a private meeting at the U.S. Congress on 14 November 2018.[159] The trip was to be sponsored by the Middle East Forum, which said it had provided Robinson with legal funds since his imprisonment.[159] Robinson was not granted a visa for the trip.[160][4]

On 23 February 2019 Robinson held a rally in MediaCityUK outside BBC's Salford, Greater Manchester offices to protest against BBC's investigative current affairs programme Panorama and its presenter John Sweeney. During the rally, Robinson launched his film Panodrama that was broadcast on a large screen to the protesters estimated to be 4000 people, showing undercover footage of Sweeney, filmed by Robinson's former aide Lucy Brown. UKIP leader Gerard Batten spoke in support during the rally. Robinson said the aim of the protest was to make a stand "against the corrupt media" and called for the BBC licence fee to be scrapped. Concurrently, about 500 people attended a counter-protest by anti-fascists.[161] In response, the BBC made an announcement that it strongly rejects any suggestion that its journalism is biased. Confirming that an upcoming Panorama episode was being prepared to investigate Robinson and his activities, it added that all programmes the BBC broadcasts follow BBC's "strict editorial guidelines". Regarding some of Sweeney's remarks during Robinson's Panodrama film exposé, the BBC announcement added: "Some of the footage which has been released was recorded without our knowledge during this investigation and John Sweeney made some offensive and inappropriate remarks, for which he apologises."[162]

Robinson announced his plans to stand as an MEP in the 2019 European Union parliamentary elections on 23 May, for the north-west of England European Parliament constituency.[163] Running as an independent, Robinson submitted all necessary documentation and paid the £5,000 deposit to be a candidate in the elections. Soon after announcing his run, Twitter suspended his newly-established electoral campaign account.[164] Robinson received only 2.2% of the vote and lost his deposit as a result.[165]

New trial
Following court hearings on 27 September[166] and 23 October, the case was referred to the Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox QC MP. Judge Nicholas Hilliard said the matter was so complex it needed further consideration, adding "all the evidence must be rigorously tested". The referral would allow witnesses to be cross-examined.[167][168]

In March 2019, the attorney general decided that it was in the public interest to bring further proceedings against Robinson. A contempt conviction had been quashed by the court of appeal in August 2018 "over procedural failings"[169] and Robinson had been freed on bail pending new proceedings at the Old Bailey. But Nicholas Hilliard, the Recorder of London had referred the case to the attorney general in October 2018 for further investigation. Cox acted on the referral and after further studies for five months, he decided to raise further proceedings against Robinson. He said about his action, "After carefully considering the details of this case, I have concluded there are strong grounds to bring fresh contempt of court proceedings against Stephen Yaxley-Lennon." He added, "As proceedings are now underway, it would not be appropriate to comment further and I remind everyone that it is an offence to comment on live court cases." The first hearing in this renewed case was due to take place at the High Court in London on 22 March 2019. Robinson reacted by alleging that this new procedure by the attorney general is part of "an ongoing state persecution of a journalist [Robinson], who exposes the [UK] government and establishment and all of their wrongs." Robinson could be sent to jail if he is found in contempt in this new trial.[170] The preliminary hearing was later postponed "until sometime after 3 May".[169]

On 5 July 2019, Robinson was again found guilty of contempt of court at the retrial[171] on three different grounds, including breaching the reporting restriction.[172]

Defence lawyers at the trial he was livestreaming from had applied for the jury to be discharged on the basis of having been prejudiced, within days of his video, which could have collapsed the trial, arguing:

It is inconceivable when you have 3.5 million hits on the internet that this information has not come to the attention of this jury. It is inconceivable that the jury have not been spoken to by others, whether they themselves were looking for the information matters or not.[172]

Three days before his scheduled sentencing on 11 July, Robinson appeared on The Alex Jones Show on the right-wing conspiracy channel Info Wars to appeal for political asylum in the United States, saying:

I feel like I’m two days away from being sentenced to death in the U.K. for journalism. Today, I am calling on the help of Donald Trump, his administration and the Republican Party to grant me and my family political asylum in the United States of America. ... I beg Donald Trump, I beg the American government, to look at my case. I need evacuation from this country because dark forces are at work. ... This is a direct appeal on behalf of my family – we love the United States, I have no future here [in Britain]. The country has fallen.

Robinson claimed that because British jails are controlled by "jihadi gangs", he would be killed while in prison. Although Robinson has in the past been refused entry to the US, and was jailed in 2012 for using a friend's passport to enter the country, in October 2018 he was invited by Congressional Republicans to speak in Washington, but could not obtain a visa in time. President Trump's ambassador for international religious freedom, the former Senator Sam Brownback raised the issue of Robinson's imprisonment with the British government in 2018, and the president's son, Donald Trump Jr. has in the past tweeted in Robinson's support.[173][174]

On 11 July Robinson was jailed for nine months at the Old Bailey. He described the sentence as an "absolute joke" and called for protests.[175] Outside the court, some of his supporters booed and a crowd marched towards the building chanting "we want Tommy out"; some began pelting police with bottles and cans.[176] Because Robinson had already served 69 days in prison, he would be required to serve about another ten weeks.[177]

Aftermath of imprisonment
In 13 September 2019, Robinson was released from prison after nine weeks.

Previous criminal convictions
Robinson's criminal record also includes convictions for violence, financial and immigration frauds, drug possession, and public order offences.[25][26][27] He had previously served at least three separate custodial sentences: in 2005 for assault, in 2012 for using false travel documents, and in 2014 for mortgage fraud.[12][15][3]

In July 2011, at Luton and South Bedfordshire Magistrates' Court, Robinson was convicted of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour, for leading a group of Luton Town F.C. supporters into a brawl involving 100 people in Luton on 24 August 2010.[5][6]

Assault
In April 2005, Robinson was convicted of assaulting an off-duty police officer who had intervened to protect Robinson's girlfriend from Robinson.[1][2][3] He was imprisoned for 12 months.[3][1]

In July 2011, he was sentenced to a 12-month community rehabilitation order, 150 hours of unpaid work and given a three-year football banning order for leading a street brawl with other football hooligans in August 2010.[178]

In September 2011, at Preston Magistrates' Court, Robinson was convicted of assault for headbutting a man in Blackburn on 2 April 2011.[9][7] In November 2011, he was given a 12-week jail term, suspended for 12 months.[10]

False passport
In October 2012, Robinson was arrested and held on the charge of having entered the United States illegally. Robinson pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to using someone else's passport to travel to the United States in September 2012, and was sentenced in January 2013 to 10 months' imprisonment.[12][13][179]

Robinson had used a passport in the name of Andrew McMaster to board a Virgin Atlantic flight from Heathrow to New York.[12] He had been banned from entering the US due to his criminal record. When he arrived at New York's JFK Airport, customs officials who took his fingerprints realised he was not McMaster. He was asked to attend a second interview but left the airport, entering the US illegally. He stayed one night and returned to the UK the following day using his own legitimate passport – which bears the name Paul Harris.[11]

Judge Alistair McCreath told him: "What you did went absolutely to the heart of the immigration controls that the United States are entitled to have. It's not in any sense trivial."[12]

He was released on electronic tag on 22 February 2013.[180]

Fraud
In November 2012, Robinson was charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by misrepresentation in relation to a mortgage application, along with five other defendants.[181] He pleaded guilty to two charges and in January 2014 was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.[14][179]

Robinson's fraud amounted to £160,000 over a period of six months. Judge Andrew Bright QC described him as the "instigator, if not the architect" of a series of frauds totalling £640,000. "This was an operation which was fraudulent from the outset and involved a significant amount of forward planning." He described Robinson as a "fixer" who had introduced others to fraudulent mortgage broker Deborah Rothschild. Rothschild had assisted some defendants by providing fake pay slips and income details.[15]

Robinson was attacked by several fellow prisoners in HM Prison Woodhill.[182][183] Following news of the attack, Maajid Nawaz wrote to the Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, asking for Robinson's situation to be urgently addressed.[183][184] Shortly after this incident, Robinson was moved to HM Prison Winchester. Robinson told Jamie Bartlett, a director of the think tank Demos: "In Woodhill, I experienced Islam the gang. [...] In Winchester, I have experienced Islam the religion." Robinson made friends with several Muslim prisoners, referring to them as "great lads [...] I cannot speak highly enough of the Muslim inmates I'm now living with".[185] In June 2014, Robinson was released on licence. The terms of his early release included having no contact with the EDL until the end of his original sentence in June 2015.[185] He was due to talk to the Oxford Union in October 2014, but was recalled to prison before the event for breaching the terms of his licence.[186] He was ultimately released on 14 November 2014.