Campaign calls on charity chief executive to resign after alleged following of Tommy Robinson on social media

A campaign is calling for the chief executive of a major charity to resign after he allegedly followed Tommy Robinson on social media.

The chief executive of the Royal College of Speaking and Language Therapy (RCSLT), Steve Jamieson, was found to be following the EDL leader on X, formerly known as Twitter, amidst the far-right riots last month.

The RCSLT, based in White Hart Yard, by London Bridge, is a professional body for people working in speech and language therapy in the UK.

After the discovery, members of the RCSLT raised their concerns with the charity, which claimed that the account had been hacked.

In a statement posted on X, Mr Jamieson said: “Let me be unequivocal. With a life and career devoted to equality and against discrimination, I have not and would not knowingly follow the accounts of racist or far right individuals or organisations.

“I have taken steps to secure my account going forward.”

Despite the claims, Warda Farah, 33, from Deptford, a Speech Language Therapist and Lecturer at the University of Greenwich, has launched a campaign alongside 100 of her colleagues at the RCSLT, calling for Mr Jamieson’s resignation.

Ms Farah said: “My immediate reaction was one of shock, disbelief, concern and worry given Tommy Robinson’s well-documented association with far-right ideologies.

“It was already a stressful and terrible time for colleagues and friends with the riots happening, and the revelation was hurtful.” 

Mr Farah said she was “skeptical” about the claimed hack.

The campaign involves a core group of three RCSLT members, Dr Vishnu Nair, Chloe Nkomo and Ms Farah, who run the Anti-Racism Action Collective.

In an open letter to the RCSLT, the group said: “Whilst we understand we all follow members whose views differ from ours on social media, it is inconceivable that the chief executive of a crucial professional body that advocates social justice follows a far right member who incites violence against Muslims and ethnic minorities. 

“Within this context, a ‘follow’ from the leader of a responsible professional body becomes an endorsement of those extreme ideologies.”

A spokeswoman from RCSLT said they had received the letter and the situation was being investigated “as a matter of urgency” by the Board of Trustees, who are independent from the RCSLT executive.

The spokeswoman said: “We understand this situation has caused distress to some of our members and stakeholders. Their concerns are at the forefront of our efforts, and we are dedicated to addressing them with the utmost care and respect.”

But Ms Farah said that many of the RCSLT’s members have lost trust in the organisation’s leadership.

She said: “Many black and brown members have lost trust in the chief executive and do not feel he holds our best interests at heart. 

“He has failed to uphold organisational values and damaged the organisation’s reputation.”

Pictured top: Warda Farah has launched a campaign calling for Steve Jameison’s resignation (Picture: Warda Farah)