Tommy Robinson speaks at rally in Tel Aviv after being ‘invited by Israeli minister’ – as critics label his visit a ‘slap in the face to British Jewry’

Tommy Robinson was speaking at a rally in Tel Aviv during his visit to Israel; The minister who invited him was asked to apologize for what was called ‘a slap in the face of British Jews’.

The far-right activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, traveled abroad while he was on trial in a case that could see him sentenced to up to three months in prison if convicted.

Robinson, 42, pleaded not guilty Disobeying counter-terrorism powers by refusing to give the passcode to his phone at the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone on July 28 last year.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court recently heard that he will travel to Israel as a guest of the Israeli government until this Saturday.

However, there was a backlash against the decision to welcome him, as diaspora affairs minister Amichai Chikli was under pressure to apologize for the invitation.

Mr Chikli has previously said he was proud to welcome Robinson, the English patriot who sparked controversy in recent days by suggesting he would come to Aston Villa to support Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Robinson has now shared the full speech he gave at an event in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv with his 1.7 million followers on X footage, adding the caption ‘Making History’.

Robinson was extended the invitation following the terrorist attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Community Synagogue in Manchester on October 2.

The anti-immigration campaigner, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, posed in his Maccabi Tel Aviv football jersey last week after his fans were banned from an upcoming match in England.

Mr Chikli praised Robinson as a ‘courageous leader on the front lines against radical Islam’; but the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council responded by saying Robinson ‘represents the worst of Britain’.

Jewish leadership groups said Mr Chikli’s actions affected British society in its ‘darkest hour’.

Now the Knesset, a committee in Israel’s parliament, has passed a resolution condemning the welcome given to Robinson and also calling for an apology from Mr Chikli.

The motion, prepared by the Knesset committee covering relations with the Jewish diaspora, was criticized for not consulting either British Jewish groups or the Israeli foreign ministry.

Gilad Kariv, who chairs the Knesset’s Aliyah, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee, said: ‘Robinson’s visit was a slap in the face to British Jews.’

The committee devoted a session on Tuesday to discussing the visit, and Israeli foreign ministry deputy director general Yacov Livne said ‘to my knowledge’ they had not had any contact with Mr Chikli about the invitation.

Michael Wegier, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, also told the committee via Zoom: ‘If Chikli had asked us whether it would be appropriate to invite the man who calls himself Tommy Robinson to the Knesset, we would have given him a firm ‘no’.’

He added:’According to Robinson, who rolled out the red carpet, ‘Israel has brought great shame to us as well as to itself.’

Robinson shared his speech from the Tel Aviv rally with his 1.7 million followers on X

There has been criticism of Israel’s invitation to visit Robinson; Amichai Chikli (pictured), the country’s diaspora affairs minister, is under pressure to apologize for the invitation

Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans, whom Robinson supports, were banned from attending a match against Aston Villa by wearing their jerseys; it was a move he called ‘the last straw’ in the Israeli club’s decision not to sell tickets to their fans.

The Israeli team feared that even if police in Birmingham made a U-turn and allowed fans into Villa Park for the upcoming Europa League match, Robinson’s fans might imitate him and pose as Maccabi fans to incite violence.

This prompted the club to decide not to sell tickets to fans for their away match against Aston Villa next month, after sparking international controversy when police banned Israeli fans citing security concerns.

Robinson, who organized the Unite the Kingdom rally attended by thousands in September, joined the outrage on social media last Friday by posting a photo of himself wearing one of the club’s jerseys and smiling.

He also wrote: ‘Who will come to support Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park on November 6?’

A source told Jewish News: ‘The risk posed by anti-Israel protesters was great, but we thought we had a plan to prevent them from prevailing. However, the situation changed with the intervention of Tommy Robinson.

‘There was now also a danger that our supporters would be mistakenly associated with his far-right activities, at a time when anti-Israel protesters were trying to take them over.

‘We conclude that due to the Robinson fans potentially posing as Maccabi fans on the streets of Birmingham, the risk to innocent fans who simply want to watch their team play has become unacceptable.’

Classifying the match as a ‘high risk fixture’, West Midlands Police expressed concerns about fan violence and possible protests.

Prosecution and defense proceedings in Robinson’s ongoing trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court regarding the Channel Tunnel charge were completed on Tuesday last week. District Judge Sam Goozee will still decide whether the activist is guilty.

While the judge was trying to set a date to announce his decision, Alisdair Williamson, defending, said Robinson would be out of the country for a while and told the court: ‘Tomorrow he is the guest of the Israeli government in Israel.’

Judge Goozee told Robinson he would ‘accommodate current travel arrangements’ and adjourned his decision until November 4.

Posting on X after the hearing ended, Robinson said: ‘Now that my hearing is behind me, I will announce my decision in London on November 4.

‘I’m leaving soon for a trip to Israel; A proud patriot comes tomorrow to stand with the Jewish state and deepen my understanding of the fight against jihad.’

He thanked tech mogul Elon Musk for covering his legal costs and added: ‘I am going to Israel as a guest of government leaders and a proud friend of the Jewish people.’