A Sunderland book signing by far-right activist Tommy Robinson descended into a brawl with one person hospitalized after a group of Celtic football fans appeared to raid the event.
The signing, which took place at a corner shop called Fletcher’s News & Booze, occurred just before a friendly football match between Scottish club Celtic and local team Sunderland FC on Saturday.
The shop, which is run by an associate of Robinson’s called John Fletcher, displays a sign above the door which says: “Don’t fund terrorism.”
Celtic is strongly connected with Irish Republicanism and Catholicism, while major rival Rangers FC, whose shirt Robinson was wearing, is a traditionally Loyalist and Protestant team.
Robinson had taunted Celtic fans online before the incident.
Police responded to the brawl, in which a flare appears to have been thrown into the shop by Celtic fans.
An 18-year-old man was treated for injuries at the scene and, although Robinson approached the injured man to mock him, police kept the angry Celtic fans away from the former English Defence League (EDL) chief.
In a video posted before the brawl, Robinson, who has declared his support for the State of Israel, mocked the solidarity shown by Celtic fans with the Palestinian cause.
“Palestine hates you. All these girls who have got their cleavage out and their Celtic tops … take your cleavage, take your Celtic top and walk through Gaza and show me your solidarity.
“Because you won’t have any. You’ll have the biggest shock of your life. So stop hating on me,” he said.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, often finds himself caught up in altercations.
In June he was pictured apparently punching a man during one of the UK’s biggest horseraces at Ascot.
It is not clear if he started the fight, but Robinson has since claimed he was acting in self-defense.
Celtic beat Sunderland 5-0.