Why is JD Vance siding with Tommy Robinson?
Far-right criminal Tommy Robinson has been backed by the US deputy president. What does US support for the UK's growing far-right movement say about the MAGA mentality right now?
Listen to this article
On Saturday 16 May, Tommy Robinson supporters were treated to an out-of-tune You'll Never Walk Alone and a man playing the cello with two small strips of bacon on his shoulders.
Two people were arrested, and social media showed images of attendees urinating in the streets, with piles of rubbish left in the wake of Robinson's 'Unite The Kingdom' event.
The event, which featured numerous anti-migrant, anti-Muslim incidents and speeches, had several overseas speakers blocked from attending due to concerns that their words or actions may stir up hatred in the UK.
And JD Vance, the US vice president, thought it was great.
"I'd encourage them to just keep on going," Vance said when asked about the Tommy Robinson event.
"It's okay to want to defend your culture. It's okay to want to live in a safe neighbourhood.
It's okay to want jobs to go to yourself and your neighbours and not to a stranger who you don't even know."
Lewis Goodall says his words highlight how "pickled" the brains of Donald Trump's administration, and the MAGA movement, have become.
But perhaps worse, he adds, is how Robinson has arguably become the most important 'political' British figure for many in America, who believe his lies about the UK, its culture and the impact of migration.
More:
'I worked with Tommy Robinson, he doesn't care about truth – only money'
Why the MAGA and Kimmel feud is a perfect example of free-speech hypocrisy
Trump tightens his grip – but is this MAGA’s biggest mistake yet?