Plans by Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli to host British far-right activist Tommy Robinson have been condemned by leading UK Jewish organisations. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council described Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, as 'a thug' who represents the 'very worst of Britain'.
Chikli announced on Friday that Robinson would visit Israel this month, calling him 'a courageous leader on the front line against radical Islam'. Robinson confirmed he accepted an invitation covering his flight and hotel costs, and plans to visit the Knesset and the West Bank, which he referred to as 'Judea and Samaria'.
The Jewish groups said Robinson's presence 'undermines those genuinely working to tackle Islamist extremism and foster community cohesion'. They added that Chikli had 'ignored the views of the vast majority of British Jews, who utterly and consistently reject Robinson'. Labour Friends of Israel also called for the invitation to be withdrawn, citing Robinson's multiple criminal convictions.
Robinson has long been accused of using anti-antisemitism rhetoric to stoke anti-Muslim sentiment, and has repeated far-right tropes such as the 'Great Replacement' theory, which has antisemitic roots. In 2023, organisers of a British march against antisemitism urged him to stay away, and in 2018, the US Anti-Defamation League opposed his visa application.
Robinson was previously a member of the far-right British National Party, which historically harboured antisemites. His media platform, Urban Scoop, published a 2022 article titled 'Tommy's Statement: The Jewish Question', which discussed 'powerful Jewish people' controlling media and entertainment, and cited pseudoscientific claims about Jewish IQ.
