MORE than 600 executives, journalists, presenters, and bloggers are descending on Edinburgh today for the start of a two day-conference “focusing on bright ideas, opportunities and challenges for the international news industry”.
But the summit, organised by the European Broadcasting Union’s News Xchange, will be dominated by a session at 3pm with Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon, whose inclusion led to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pulling out of the event.
Hundreds of people are expected to attend a protest outside the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, organised by Stand Up to Racism Scotland.
A spokesman for the group said: “Organisers describe Bannon as a ‘political strategist’. He is attempting to build an Islamophobic international of far-right groups and is looking to fascist Tommy Robinson here in Britain as a key figure for his movement.
Meanwhile, Robinson will not be able to attend a planned meeting with Republican lawmakers in Washington this week as he has not been granted a visa.
The former English Defence League leader was invited to the US by the conservative Philadelphia-based organisation Middle East Forum, but its president, Daniel Pipes, said yesterday that Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, did not have a visa.
Pipes said Robinson recently applied for a visa at the US Embassy in London but realised it “will take a while” for him to be allowed into the country.
Robinson, who will speak via a video link, is currently barred from the US after attempting to enter the country using a friend’s passport in 2012, having been blocked from travelling under standard arrangements because of “multiple criminal convictions”.
Robinson insisted his visa application had not been rejected. He said during a phone conversation that reports about the issue were “fake news” and hung up the phone.
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