Riot Erupts at Irish Influencer Boxing Event Following Tommy Robinson Appearance

Two people were arrested after an influencer boxing event in Ireland descended into a riot, with tensions escalating following the appearance of far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

The disorder unfolded shortly after midnight on Saturday at the Hub events venue in Kilkenny, during a show promoted by controversial internet personality Harrison Sullivan, known online as HSTikkyTokky.

Robinson, 43, is currently on bail after being convicted in October of harassing two journalists to the point that they feared violence. He is scheduled to return to court on 16 December for sentencing and faces a possible custodial term.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, attended as a ringside guest accompanied by several supporters. The event was organized by Sullivan and fellow internet personality Ed Matthews through their company, Unhinged. The pair appeared earlier this year in a Netflix documentary about manosphere influencers. On Friday, Sullivan informed the Guardian that Robinson would be present.

A violent and disorderly press conference on Friday evening foreshadowed the chaos, as competitors repeatedly attacked one another. Participants included streamers, fitness figures, drill rappers, OnlyFans models, and Paul Flaherty, a YouTuber with a prior conviction for a sexual offense.

The event, streamed live on Kick to roughly 1.8 million viewers, began without incident. Tensions rose when Sullivan and Matthews invited Robinson to the commentary desk ahead of a bout involving Muslim social media personality Mo Deen, whose real name is Mohammad Kubba.

Holding a copy of his book The Grooming Gang Cover-Up, Robinson told Matthews that “Muslims have been raping our country for 100 years” and cited inaccurate statistics regarding Muslim men and sexual offenses. Many attendees, who were racially diverse, took offense at the remarks.

After Kubba won his match, he exited the ring and leapt toward Robinson, throwing punches. Security brought the scuffle under control, with additional bouts expected to continue.

The event erupted into a full riot after Sullivan demanded that Kubba, who had left the venue, return to “face off” with Robinson in the ring. Security escorted a reluctant Kubba back inside. Sullivan appeared to want an unscheduled bare-knuckle fight, repeatedly saying “let Tommy fight him,” and admitted Robinson’s entourage, referred to by Sullivan as “Tommy’s boys,” into the ring.

When Kubba entered the ring—by then occupied by Robinson’s supporters—Robinson threw a copy of his book, which features Arabic-style lettering, at Kubba, and a brawl broke out. The crowd descended into violence, throwing chairs and barricades and punching one another, while others screamed and ran for safety.

Speaking to the Guardian afterward, Kubba claimed he had been instructed to start a fight with Robinson, though he declined to name who gave the order. Beforehand, Robinson said he would be willing to “batter” Kubba if the social media personality initiated a fight, though he also stated he liked Kubba and bore him no ill will. There is no indication the riot was pre-planned.

For roughly 20 minutes, violent scenes continued as Sullivan unsuccessfully urged the crowd to remain peaceful. Event and venue security, along with the gardaí—who had been summoned earlier in the night following disturbances—eventually broke up the riot.

A Garda Síochána spokesperson said a man in his 30s was assaulted and taken to St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny, while a man in his 20s was arrested and detained at a police station. A teenage boy was also arrested and charged with violent disorder, with a court appearance scheduled for Sunday.

Footage of the riot circulated on social media in real time. Before the livestream ended, some in the crowd could be heard chanting “Oh Tommy Robinson.” After police cleared the venue, Sullivan tried to resume the fights for the stream alone but was stopped by a visibly distressed venue representative.

The Ministry of Justice and Metropolitan Police could not confirm whether Robinson’s bail conditions barred international travel.

In social media comments posted on Sunday, Sullivan admitted he should have hired additional security. “Everyone makes mistakes when you are trying to grow something,” he said, adding, “One thing I can say is it was a great night of entertainment and it’s gone super viral.”

Outside the venue early Sunday morning, the crowd—largely teenage boys and young men—recorded the aftermath on their phones. One attendee told the Guardian that such incidents do not occur in Kilkenny city, which has a population of 27,000.

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