The Tommy Robinson Case

Tommy Robinson is a British activist, journalist and one supposes provocateur. This weekend he was arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to 13 months in Britain all in the space of a few hours. The esteemed M Steyn has the details. See also the equally esteemed Ezra Levant.

We're not really interested in the particulars of this case, and the reader(s) can make up their own mind about Tommy Robinson. 

What does interest us is the publication ban the presiding judge slapped on this case. That is, he ordered British media not to cover Mr. Robinson's Kangaroo style arrest, trial and conviction. remarks Steyn:

In Britain itself, early online reports at The Mirror, the Scottish Daily Record, The Birmingham Mail and elsewhere vanished instantly, and silence has been maintained, especially on radio and TV, ever since.

What self respecting newspaper in a free society would comply with such an order? We don't care for the Pentagon Papers imbroglio, Daniel Ellsberg or the WaPo but when they ignored the judge's gag order and published anyway the WaPo did the right thing.

What is wrong with British media? As Sir Thomas More said in A Man for All Seasons, this isn't Spain, this is England.