Tommy Robinson draws crowd of 1,000 in Tel Aviv amid controversy; protester attacked

British far-right and anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson drew a crowd of over 1,000 people at a Tel Aviv event on Saturday night that saw an incident of violence when a single heckler was assaulted by attendees.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, arrived in Israel on Wednesday in response to an invitation by Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli of the Likud party, who attended the event. The invitation was denounced by the UK’s Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, which called Robinson a “thug who represents the very worst of Britain.”

Speaking to reporters ahead of the event — hosted by the Tel Aviv International Salon, a self-described nonpartisan speakers’ forum for young adults that “provides a platform for debate and discussion with leading voices from across the political spectrum” — Robinson said he was in Israel on a “fact-finding mission” amid what he decried as “a major propaganda campaign against the State of Israel and against Jews.”

He rejected claims of a genocide in Gaza, saying his trip included tours of Jerusalem, a Palestinian refugee camp, and an upcoming visit to the West Bank, which he referred to by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria.

Explaining his support for Israel, Robinson said he viewed it “as a beacon of democracy surrounded by totalitarian, sharia-driven hellholes.”

At the same press conference, Robinson lashed out at the British Jewish leadership, saying: “They’re attacking me because they’re political establishment figures.”

“The Board of Deputies, who are now attacking me, they’re not attacking me because they’re Jews, they’re attacking me because they’re political establishment figures,” he said, claiming that every Jew who has condemned him works for a mainstream British broadcaster or newspaper and that they “do not represent British Jews.”

Record of antisemitic rhetoric

Despite his repeated expressions of solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people, Robinson has a long record of antisemitic rhetoric. In 2022, he published — and later deleted — an article titled “The Jewish Question” on his website Urban Scoop, in which he claimed 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.”

In another section, he wrote, “Jews (generally speaking, at least the white European Jews) have an average IQ of 110, so inevitably those Jews will rise to the top of corporations, of big business, of big tech, of news networks, in Hollywood, in government etc etc.”

The article was widely condemned for perpetuating antisemitic tropes about Jewish control and influence. UK watchdogs argue that Robinson’s current pro-Israel stance stands in sharp contrast to his history of promoting conspiracy-laden narratives about Jews.

However, when questioned about the article at the Saturday night event, Robinson dismissed accusations of antisemitism, saying that he targets all “woke elitists” for their rhetoric and influence and that his comments did not reflect antisemitic ideology.

“The Jewish community needs friends, and just because of accusations against me, I’m not going to walk away,” he added.

Robinson is best known in Britain as the founder of the anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim English Defence League, which the former soccer hooligan set up to protest against Islamic demonstrations in his hometown of Luton. The group quickly became a magnet for far-right activists, developing into a nationwide movement.

He has long campaigned against what he says are crimes committed by Muslim migrants, and has been imprisoned five times in the last 20 years for a range of offenses spanning from fraud and drug offenses to, most recently, libeling a 15-year-old Syrian refugee.

In 2023, Jewish groups in the UK asked him to stay away from a rally against antisemitism, noting that far-right supporters who showed up to an earlier pro-Israel rally had made antisemitic comments.

Commenting on the UK decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending next month’s Europa League match at Aston Villa, Robinson said Saturday: “Birmingham today, every other city tomorrow. I think the government needs to intervene.” He added that he planned on attending the game to “show what it’s like to be a Jewish fan coming from the State of Israel to a football match.”

He praised hardline leaders such as US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring, “The future of European leaders — it’s not [French President Emmanuel] Macron, it’s not Keir Starmer — it’s strong men. Donald Trump has shown that. Netanyahu has shown that.”

Tells audience: We need to unite in the face of jihad

As Robinson took the stage, he was met with a standing ovation and thunderous applause. Speaking to the crowd, he highlighted his upbringing in Luton, England, as a major influence on his support for the Jewish people, saying he grew up surrounded by antisemitism — largely instigated by his Muslim peers — and recalled an incident in which one of his Muslim friends threw stones at an ultra-Orthodox Jew.

He also spoke about his activism and his work on a number of documentaries, most notably an unreleased film titled “Shalom,” documenting the life of Yisroel Shalom, a British Orthodox Jew who lived in a Muslim-majority neighborhood.

In a clip filmed in 2014 and shown to the audience, Shalom described living in constant fear after being physically and verbally assaulted numerous times and said he wouldn’t invite guests to his home out of fear for their safety. According to Robinson, Shalom sought help from law enforcement and British political figures but received no tangible assistance until his death, the circumstances of which Robinson did not detail, though he said Shalom was “persecuted to death.”

Robinson alleged that the documentary was never released because, he claimed, the British advocacy group Hope not Hate paid off two of his employees to dispose of the evidence, which he said was done to diminish his credibility.

Referring to last month’s “Unite the Kingdom” nationalist rally in London, which he organized and claimed had over a million participants, Robinson said the next event, “Unite the West,” would be “bigger” and “louder.” According to The Guardian, the September 13 rally drew more than 110,000 attendees, still marking one of the largest far-right demonstrations in the UK in decades.

“It’s not a British problem. It’s not an Israeli problem. It’s not a European problem. It’s all of our problem… Anyone who defends Western civilization, free speech, equality, democracy, liberty — we need to unite together in the face of jihad,” he said.

Addressing critics, Robinson said: “I like waking people up. I like making people think… To those groups and organizations — and maybe even some Jewish people — who are criticizing me now: At some point you will wake up. And our arms are open — we don’t oppose you. We’re not your enemy.”

Heckler asaulted

Minutes after Robinson took the stage, a heckler was physically assaulted by attendees after interrupting Robinson’s speech.

Raoul Wootliff, a former Times of Israel staffer, shouted “Tommy Robinson is a racist!” and held up a sign reading “Go back to where you came from” shortly after Robinson began speaking, prompting boos and chants of “Shame on you” from the crowd. As he left, Robinson remarked, “The far-left extremist has left the building.”

Wootliff later posted on X that he had been “repeatedly punched in the head, spat at, and kicked while on the floor” by attendees. He said he was also doused with beer.

“That tells you everything you need to know about the kind of hatred being welcomed into our country tonight,” he wrote.

In a comment to The Times of Israel, Wootliff said, “We must stand up to Tommy Robinson’s disgusting racism and to the Israeli government’s growing embrace of the far right.”

Just got repeatedly punched in the head, spat at & kicked while on the floor by Tommy Robinson supporters in Tel Aviv as I protested his presence in Israel. I told him to get out of our country & go back to where he came from. @AmichaiChikli is a disgrace for inviting him here pic.twitter.com/4DKHe0n9Mi

— Raoul Wootliff (@RaoulWootliff) October 18, 2025

“Israelis should be standing shoulder to shoulder with the UK Jewish community, which has fought for years against Robinson’s hate and his ilk — not giving him a platform,” he said. “I attended to make that point.”

Most of the audience appeared to support Robinson, with some approaching him before and after the event to thank him for his activism and support of Israel. Others wore far-right regalia, including “Make America Great Again” and “Total Victory” hats.

Supporters at the event were interviewed on Robinson’s livestream about why they attended.

One British woman said, “I feel very angry that I don’t even visit England because I’m scared of being arrested, because I dare to actually speak my mind… We need to resurrect the good, old-fashioned free speech.”