Riot breaks out at influencer boxing event attended by Tommy Robinson in Ireland

The riot occurred at approximately midnight on Saturday at an event organized by the controversial internet personality HSTikkyTokky, whose real name is Harrison Sullivan, at the Hub events venue in Kilkenny. Robinson, 43, who is on bail after being found guilty in October of harassing two journalists, was a ringside guest surrounded by supporters at the event, which was livestreamed on the Kick platform to about 1.8 million viewers.

Inflammatory Comments Spark Violence

The atmosphere grew tense when Sullivan and Matthews invited Robinson to the commentator's desk before a fight by Muslim social media personality Mo Deen, whose real name is Mohammad Kubba. Robinson, holding a copy of his book The Grooming Gang Cover-Up, told Matthews that Muslims have been raping our country for 100 years and cited false statistics about Muslim men and sexual offences.

Escalation to Riot

After Kubba won his fight, he climbed out of the ring and jumped on Robinson, throwing punches. Security intervened to control the scuffle. However, the event erupted into a riot after Sullivan demanded that Kubba return to face off against Robinson in the ring. A reluctant Kubba was escorted back by security, and Sullivan repeatedly said let Tommy fight him while allowing Robinson's supporters into the ring.

Upon Kubba's arrival, Robinson threw a copy of his book at him, and a fight broke out. The crowd erupted into violence with chairs and barricades being thrown as attendees punched each other. Sullivan pleaded unsuccessfully with the crowd to stay peaceful as violent scenes unfolded over the next 20 minutes.

Aftermath and Arrests

The riot was eventually broken up by event security and the Garda Síochána, who had been called earlier due to disturbances. A Garda spokesperson confirmed a man in his 30s was assaulted and hospitalized, while another man in his 20s was arrested and detained. A teenage boy was also arrested and charged with violent disorder, appearing in court on Sunday.

Footage of the riot spread on social media in real time, with some in the crowd chanting Oh Tommy Robinson before the live stream cut to black. Sullivan attempted to restart the fights for the live stream only but was blocked by a venue representative who was visibly upset.

Event Organizer's Response

In social media comments on Sunday, Sullivan acknowledged he had erred by not hiring more event security. Everyone makes mistakes when you are trying to grow something, he said, before adding: One thing I can say is it was a great night of entertainment and it's gone super viral. The event's official Instagram account uploaded footage of the riot with the caption: The Area started a RIOT.

Outside the venue early Sunday morning, the predominantly teenage and young male crowd filmed the aftermath on their phones. One attender told the Guardian such incidents were unusual in Kilkenny city, which has a population of 27,000. The Ministry of Justice and Metropolitan police were unable to confirm whether Robinson's bail terms prohibited international travel.