Jewish activists heckle Nigel Farage at the launch of Reform Jewish Alliance

Jewish activists interrupted Nigel Farage’s speech at the launch of a communal organisation linked to Reform UK on Tuesday.

As the party leader began his address at the event in central London, a man and two women stood up and begun to raise objections.

Security guards inside the venue at the inaugural meeting of the Reform Jewish Alliance ushered the three protesters out of the hall to cries of “shame” from the around 300 people in the room.

Protesters shouted: “The Torah says to love the stranger for we were once strangers in Egypt” and “My mother didn’t fight at Cable Street for this.”

Also speaking at the event was deputy leader Richard Tice, along with recent Tory defectors Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick.

Earlier, the meeting’s chair Alan Mendoza had defended Farage over what he said was a “smear campaign” over his past. Mendoza said: “There is not an antisemitic bone in Nigel’s body.” Gary Mond also spoke as head of the RJA.

Around 50 Jewish protesters had assembled outside the venue, a synagogue, ahead of the meeting. Security appeared tight on the door so there will be concerns activists made it into the room.

As he continued his speech, Farage praised the organisation behind the RJA but suggested in an ideal world a separate Jewish group would not be necessary.

Protesters also gathered outside a nearby synagogue to picket the launch and protest against the use of Jewish religious spaces to host it. Accusing the venue of providing a platform for racism, xenophobia and antisemitism, the protestors held signs highlighting a series of high-profile controversial quotes by Reform UK-affiliated politicians – including several referencing antisemitic remarks allegedly made by Nigel Farage during his time at Dulwich College.

“It’s not surprising to see disgraced right-wing provocateurs and former spokespeople for Israel’s genocidal government make overtures to Farage’s Reform,” said Max Hammer, a spokesperson for the Jewish Bloc for Palestine.

“But we’re dismayed and disgusted to see a synagogue play along. How can a synagogue provide a platform to a man who allegedly spent his school days saying that Hitler was right? We cannot stay silent. Farage and his ilk are dangerous to Jews, dangerous to Muslims,and dangerous to all minority groups in the UK. No one in our community should let him forget that.”