Robinson is doing his best to fulfil 'civil war' prophecy

On Thursday the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on the visit to the area around Gaza of “the leader of Britain’s growing far- right movement”, Tommy Robinson. Robinson is currently the guest of the Israeli government. He was invited by Israel’s minister for the diaspora and combating antisemitism, Amichai

- DAVID AARONOVITCH

Chikli, who said he was “proud to host British patriot” Robinson.

On the same day I caught a clip of a news item from last month that featured residents of a southern English suburb talking about the flag campaign, largely run by supporters of Robinson. One middle-aged white woman said they didn't bother her because they were just national flags. But her friend, who was Black, hesitantly told the interviewer that the flags made her worried for her family. She said she felt that the intention behind them was to say to people like her that they weren't welcome in their own country.

It all testified to the rise from the far fringe to the edge of the political stage of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson. And where he has led, others - including politicians who were once mainstream Tories - have followed.

Mainstream Jewish organisations have expressed horror at the invitation. Many of us have experienced the antisemitism that Robinson followers are routinely capable of expressing - indeed recently Robinson himself talked about how the “liberal Jews” had been selling out to Islam. For many on the far right, Israel is exactly where they would like all their Jews to be.