The man who threw a McDonald’s milkshake over Tommy Robinson has said he has received death threats.
Danyaal Mahmud told The Observer he is worried about the safety of his family since the altercation in Warrington on Thursday.
He said: “I’m a low-key person, I didn’t anticipate this publicity and I don’t want it – I’m getting death threats on social media and I am worried about me and my family being targeted.”
Mahmud became a reluctant social media star last week after a video of his encounter with Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – was posted on Twitter.
In the clip, Yaxley-Lennon can be heard telling Mahmud that another person, presumably a friend of his, had been aggressive and had pushed a woman.
Mahmud shakes his head and says “no”, before tipping the contents all over Yaxley-Lennon, who then throws a few punches before being pulled off.
Another man can be heard yelling: “That’s what you get for being a fascist.”
Mahmud has denied acting aggressively before the incident, after he joined a Unite Against Fascism (UAF) while walking through the city centre.
He said: “I did join in with the protesters telling him he was scum, I admit it, but they [his supporters] had been really aggressive.”
The clip topped off a rough week for Yaxley-Lennon who has been campaigning for the forthcoming European elections.
Ironically for someone whose supporters are known to chant “whose streets? Our Streets!”, the former-EDL leader has found the streets of northern England rather hostile.
It began on Tuesday night when a Yaxley-Lennon supporter posted a picture online showing the far-right activist with Manchester City footballer, Ederson Moraes.
The caption accompanying the tweet claimed the sports star had offered “his full support while in Manchester”.
This turned out to be a little wide of the truth when later on Moraes tweeted: “People have made me aware of who this guy is. I definitely not support this guy or his ideas. He just stopped me for a picture. I had no idea who he was.
Then on Wednesday he was accused of “spouting shite” by an irate woman in the street.
The English Defence League founder is standing as an MEP candidate in the North West of England constituency.