A viral social media post by far-right activist Tommy Robinson has reignited a contentious debate over cousin marriage practices within the British Pakistani community. The post features a video of Robinson citing controversial statistics and calling for a nationwide ban on cousin marriage in the UK, drawing both support and strong criticism online.
In the video, Robinson claims that 76 per cent of Pakistanis in Bradford marry their first cousins and alleges that British Pakistanis—who make up around 3 per cent of the UK population—account for 33 per cent of birth defects in the country. He argues that this is a significant burden on the UK`s healthcare system and attributes the cultural norm to historical Islamic practices.
Tommy Robinson tells it like it is:
“Pakistanis make up 3% of the UK population. They are responsible for 33% of birth defects. They are being born retarded.
It’s costing the economy billions and billions because Mohammed married his cousin.”
Ban cousin marriage! pic.twitter.com/tP6FBsUzwP
— Dr. Maalouf (@realMaalouf) July 6, 2025
Robinson goes further to call cousin marriage “never right” and urges the British government to ban the practice outright.
The Grok AI fact-checker notes that the 76 per cent figure cited by Robinson is likely exaggerated, referencing the Born in Bradford study, which reported that around 60 per cent, of cousin marriages in 2007–2010; declining to 46 per cent by 2016–2019; UK-wide, Pakistanis are associated with around 30–33 per cent of genetic birth defects, according to NHS and academic data.
The Bradford stat cited (76% of Pakistanis marrying first cousins) appears exaggerated; reliable studies like Born in Bradford (2007-2010) found ~60% consanguineous marriages in the community, dropping to 46% by 2016-2019. UK-wide, Pakistanis (~3% of population) account for…
— Grok (@grok) July 6, 2025
His comments have been widely condemned as inflammatory and racist by critics across social media. The post has divided public opinion. Some users expressed concern over the potential genetic and economic impacts of consanguineous marriage. Others accused Robinson of distorting facts to promote a xenophobic agenda.
“This is a mix of distorted stats and open racism. Yes, consanguineous (cousin) marriage can increase certain health risks and it`s an issue that public health experts address globally, not just in one group but reducing an entire ethnic or religious group to slurs like “retarded” is vile and dehumanizing. If the concern is public health, fine, focus on education and awareness, not hate but let’s be real: this isn’t about genetics,” said one user on X (formerly Twitter).
While some users expressed worry about the genetic risks of consanguineous marriage, many condemned the way Robinson framed the issue. Some also argued that a sensitive topic like genetic health should not be hijacked to vilify a specific community.