Controversial Israeli minister visits UK as colleague invites Tommy Robinson to Israel
Israel's controversial deputy minister of foreign affairs, Sharren Haskel, wore a bulletproof vest while addressing a crowd in Manchester on Sunday, days after her colleague invited far-right activist and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson to Israel.
"Here as a Jew I am not safe in your streets," Haskel told hundreds of mourners who had gathered to commemorate Thursday's deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue.
"I'm threatened with death, for nothing more than my very existence," she claimed.
"I stand before you in a bulletproof vest, a Kevlar vest, here on this stage. I am not allowed to be here without it."
Haskel was condemned by British parliamentarians earlier this year for secretly filming them when they were on a visit to Israel and posting the footage on Instagram, accompanied by disparaging remarks.
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She was nevertheless allowed entry into Britain last week after two people were killed and four others wounded in the attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on 2 October.
Greater Manchester Police later admitted responsibility for shooting dead one of the victims and wounding another.
Yesterday I stood on stage in Manchester wearing a Kevlar vest - not as a symbol of fear, but as a symbol of strength and resolve.
— Sharren Haskel השכל שרן (@SharrenHaskel) October 6, 2025
Because wherever Jews are threatened - we stand united.
Whether in Israel, in Europe, or in any Jewish community around the world - our pain is one,… pic.twitter.com/FKzcADBgmb
Haskel's visit came less than 48 hours after Israel's Diaspora Minister, Amichai Chikli, announced that he would host far-right British thug and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson in Israel this month.
Channel 4 asked Haskel whether she would condemn Chikli's move.
Haskel responded by falsely claiming that the Manchester attacker, British-born Jihad al-Shamie, was an immigrant.
She also said that "people are entitled and allowed to speak out their mind", while also calling for new measures against antisemitism in the UK.
Clash with British Jewish groups
Chikli himself has become embroiled in a public spat with major British Jewish organisations, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council.
On Friday, Chikli described Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, as a "courageous leader on the front line against radical Islam".
Yaxley-Lennon has, over the past two decades, built a violent street movement focused on stoking fears of an Islamic takeover of the UK.
He has received prison sentences and community orders since 2003 for, among other things, football brawling, travelling on another man's passport to the US, mortgage fraud, possession of drugs, threatening behaviour, and breach of a court order.
In 2021 he lost a libel lawsuit over his slurs against a Syrian schoolboy who was filmed being attacked at school.
He has widely been accused of making antisemitic remarks.
Yaxley-Lennon said on social media platform X that he will travel to Israel after a court appearance on 13 October, and that he has accepted an invitation by the Israeli government to cover the cost of his flight and accommodation.
He said he will meet government leaders and visit the Knesset, Israel's parliament.
In response, the Board of Deputies (BoD) and the Jewish Leadership Council released a statement saying Yaxley-Lennon's presence "undermines those genuinely working to tackle Islamist extremism and foster community cohesion".
Both bodies are generally supportive of the Israeli government, and in June the BoD suspended members of its board who criticised Israel's genocide in Gaza.
But Chikli hit back, condemning the BoD on Saturday as being "openly aligned with left-wing, woke, pro-Palestinian parties".
"Just hours after Jews were murdered in Manchester," he said, "instead of demanding protection or holding the government accountable, the Board rushed for a photo-op with the prime minister."
I met with @KemiBadenoch , Leader of the Opposition and of the Conservative Party - an inspiring leader, the daughter of immigrants who broke through barriers with determination, ideology, and perseverance.
— Sharren Haskel השכל שרן (@SharrenHaskel) October 5, 2025
We spoke about the alarming rise in antisemitism across Europe, and… pic.twitter.com/TIrNs68pRa
On Sunday evening, Haskel posted a photograph of herself with Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK's Conservative Party.
She said: "We spoke about the alarming rise in antisemitism across Europe, and especially in the UK - a reality tragically underscored by the recent terror attack in Manchester, which claimed innocent lives and reminded the world where hate can lead."
She also addressed the Conservative Friends of Israel reception at the Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester.
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