OPINION: British Jews must reject Tommy Robinson – and those who welcome him

When Israel’s diaspora affairs minister Amichai Chikli announced he would soon “proudly” welcome Tommy Robinson, it felt like a gut punch. Robinson—real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon—is no patriot. He is a serial provocateur, a fraudster, and a thug who has spent years turning communities against each other. For a senior Israeli minister to embrace him is not just a lapse in judgement—it is a disgrace.

British Jews know exactly who Robinson is. The English Defence League, which he co-founded, dragged swastikas and racist chants onto Britain’s streets—widely documented by UK media and watchdogs. In 2022, in a now-deleted article on Urban Scoop titled ‘Tommy’s Statement: The Jewish Question’, he indulged in conspiratorial antisemitism: “There are powerful Jewish people, claiming to be Zionists, who have their fingers on buttons of power in the entertainment industry, in big tech, in mainstream media, in the music industry, in Hollywood and in governments.” Hope Not Hate and others have catalogued his repeated use of such rhetoric.

Of course his incitement of hatred goes well beyond his now conveniently muted antisemitism. He spread poisonous lies about a Syrian refugee schoolboy, Jamal Hijazi; lies so vicious that the High Court called them defamatory and racist. His contempt-of-court antics outside grooming gang trials risked collapsing cases and handing abusers a free pass. This is not a man who misspoke in anger; it is a pattern of deliberate, dangerous hate.

And if his bigotry is not enough, his record is another red flag. Robinson has convictions for assault, fraud, and contempt of court. He has been deported and denied entry by countries citing public-order risks. He is no ally to Jews—he is a career criminal dressing up his prejudices as courage.

Some may be tempted to see Robinson as an ally against violent Islamists, especially in the shadow of the terror attack that claimed two lives at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation. That path is dangerous. We cannot fight hatred by legitimising those who thrive on it.

The Board of Deputies and The Jewish Leadership Council issued a scathing response to Amichai Chikli embracing Tommy Robinson, who they said is “a thug who represents the very worst of Britain.” Their statement described how he “undermines those genuinely working to tackle Islamist extremism and foster community cohesion. Minister Chikli has proven himself to be a Diaspora Minister in name only. In our darkest hour, he has ignored the views of the vast majority of British Jews, who utterly and consistently reject Robinson and everything he stands for.”

Jewish News, after Tommy Robinson attacked these two cross-communal institutions, declared that our community “rejects your hate, your lies, and your attempt to hijack our cause.”

When Robinson tried to muscle his way into the march against antisemitism in London in November 2023, the Campaign Against Antisemitism were unequivocal: “Tommy Robinson (and)… the drunken far-right thugs who came to ‘protect the Cenotaph’ on Armistice Day… are not allies of the Jewish community and are not welcome at our solidarity march.”

Time and again, Jewish institutions have slammed the door in his face.

So why is Chikli trying to open the door? Because he has made a habit of cosying up to far-right and Christian nationalist figures in Europe and North America. He convened a conference so toxic that the Chief Rabbi, Lord Mann and the Board of Deputies all pulled out. Israeli ministers have also embraced Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Christians United for Israel (CUFI), whose founder John Hagee once claimed Hitler was sent by God—a comment he later had to apologise for. Israel’s far-right leaders are less interested in Jewish safety than in scoring alliances that suit their agenda.

Rejecting Robinson is not about being polite, or about keeping interfaith niceties. It is about drawing a hard line: we will not let antisemites and racists exploit our pain to legitimise their hate. Real security for Jews cannot be built on scapegoating our neighbours.

British Jews should not wait for Chikli to come to his senses. We should make it clear now: Robinson is not our friend. He never was, and he never will be. Any Israeli minister who rolls out the red carpet for him is not protecting us. They are betraying us.