From the Liveblog of
Saturday, October 18, 2025
UK anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, visiting at Chikli’s invitation, praises Israel as island of democracy
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleStav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of Israel
Talking to reporters ahead of a speaking engagement in Tel Aviv, British far-right, anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson says he is in Israel on a “fact-finding mission” amid what he describes as “a major propaganda campaign against the State of Israel and against Jews.”
Robinson rejects the claim that a genocide is taking place in Gaza, and he says his visit includes tours of Jerusalem, a Palestinian refugee camp and an upcoming trip to the West Bank, which he refers to as Judea and Samaria, using the Biblical names for the area.
Explaining his support for Israel, Robinson says, “I see Israel as a beacon of democracy surrounded by totalitarian, Sharia-driven hellholes.”
The event, hosted by the Tel Aviv International Salon, follows an invitation extended to Robinson by Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli of the Likud party.
The invitation drew condemnation from the most prominent organizations representing British Jewry, who called Robinson a “thug who represents the very worst of Britain” and Chikli “a Diaspora Minister in name only.”
The event is expected to draw more than 1,000 attendees.
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