Tommy Robinson, former leader of the English Defence League, held a meeting with members of Manchester’s Jewish community, according to The Jewish Chronicle, generating a disproportionate avalanche of condemnation and foreboding.
The meeting took place in Prestwich last week, and went on until “the early hours” of last Thursday morning. Despite the fact that around a dozen people attended, English Jewish establishment functionaries have been signalling a frantic desire to distance themselves from the slightest appearance of complicity in the event.
In what may be a more accurate redefinition of the term "Islamophobia", comfortable Jewish establishment leaders appear to be engaged in a campaign of appeasement directed towards the invading Muslim multitude at the expense of one who would save them from it.
For example, the Jewish Chronicle spoke to one community member who confirmed her friends had organized the session, but said she would "take legal action" if her own name was linked to the event.
Invitations to attend were extended to other community groups including the "North West Friends of Israel" – but its spokesman Anthony Dennison said the group had declined the invitation.
Mr Dennison said: "We find some of Tommy Robinson’s opinions abhorrent. Unfortunately in our community there are a small number of people who are attracted his policies.
“This is unacceptable, and something North West Friends of Israel will never be associated with.”
The Jewish Voice UK issued the following: "We are launching a social media campaign to fight Tommy Robinson and the Far-Right. He [sic] is our statement":
Jeremy Newmark, Jewish Labour Movement chairman, confirmed local activists from his organization had been left “outraged” after learning of the event.
Mr Newmark told the Jewish Chronicle: "No ifs, no buts, Tommy Robinson is an enemy of our community. He is part of the same political tradition as the National Front and the BNP.”
And in a statement, the Board of Deputies condemned last week’s meeting saying: “Tommy Robinson’s record of anti-Muslim provocation means that he could never be a partner of a respectable or mainstream Jewish organisation.”
Robinson has travelled to Israel, repeatedly and staunchly proclaiming himself to be a Zionist.
And in a bombshell Tweet Robinson released in March, he came out with the proclamation that he himself is Jewish, an announcement that caused a torrent of reaction that ranged from delight to disgust:
What then accounts for Jewish establishment mobilization against Robinson? Several factors may be in play that highlight the difficult position of an establishment that insists on maintaining power while refusing to recognize the crumbling of the old order. Tommy Robinson is fearless. He is effective in spreading his message. (In the last 28 days his Tweets were viewed by 193 million people, and 44 million watched his Facebook videos.)
But perhaps the thing that most endears Robinson to his growing following is his intrepid style of maturity and level-headedness with which he approaches emotionally charged subjects. Here, Robinson tracks down and wins over a misguided youth who had called for Robinson's murder on Twitter:
European Jewry is in danger. Their host countries are presently unable or unwilling to prevent Muslim invasion. Appeasement has always been the default policy of comfortable establishments in denial, yet has never been effective. It is natural that such leaders would excoriate any usurper who would say out loud that which they are trying desperately to hide. Tommy Robinson met with twelve Jews and sent shock waves through the establishment, which should itself be an indication of the potent immediacy of his message.