Writer of anti-apartheid anthem tells Tommy Robinson not to use it

For decades, Labi Siffre's hit (Something Inside) So Strong has been a global anthem against apartheid. It was inspired by a documentary about apartheid-era South Africa and was widely reported to be Nelson Mandela's favourite song.

- Nadia Khomami

Now the singer-songwriter has issued Tommy Robinson with a cease and desist order after the far-right activist incorporated the song into his social media posts and used it at the recent "unite the kingdom" rally in central London.

It is a turn of events that seems "absurd" to 80-year-old Siffre, who has spent most of his life facing battles over his race and sexuality.

"Anybody who knows me and knows my work since 1970 will know the joke of them using the work of a positive atheist, homosexual black artist as apparently representative of their movement," Siffre told the Guardian in a rare media interview.

The musician and his publisher, BMG Rights Management, have issued the order to Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, against the unauthorised use of his work. "They're breaking all sorts of copyrights," Siffre says. "Even in an era when theft is easier than it ever was, it's still theft."

During Robinson's rally this month, which was attended by more than 110,000 people, he invited a former X Factor contestant to sing (Something Inside) So Strong. "I always like telling stories through music and this next song now is going to tell all of our stories of why we're here and why we care," Robinson told the crowd.