Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, pro-Israel accounts amplify far-right messaging on UK riots

The Deputy Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, Arieh King, has reshared an illustration referencing the far-right riots that have swept across the UK, which activists and commentators have decried as Islamophobic and further fuelling violence against minorities. 

The illustration which seems to be an AI generated image, shows a UK policeman hugging an Imam with the speech bubble above the policeman stating "together we will make this country yours" and the Imam's stating "thank you for being so weak". The image  =was posted with the caption "goodbye #england".

The New Arab found that the original image had been shared on X by Paul Golding, the co-leader of far-right organisation Britain First. The video had originated on Tik Tok from the user @defendbritain02.

The post comes amid far-right and Islamophobic riots that have gripped the UK in recent days, following an attack that killed three girls in Southport last week, after misinformation online suggesting the perpetrator was Muslim and an immigrant.

King's post is among a plethora of posts by pro-Israel accounts on social media platform X that are either espousing or resharing Islamophobic or pro-riot content, despite officials and police in the UK warning that social media is amplifying the unrest.

Muslims and activists have raised concerns over their safety, highlighting that social media sites are awash with anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hatred.

One example of the Islamophobic sentiment online is an Israeli account with around 3,000 followers, which shared a post with the caption "RIP Britain" alongside a Union Flag with the Islamic crescent over it commenting "Britainstan was taken over, or should I say, handed over?"

Another Israeli social media influencer with 35,500 followers named Rubi Yona has also been amplifying posts from accounts such as 'Europe Invasion' and 'Western Invasion' purportedly showing Muslim men attacking "anti-migrant protesters".

Anti-Muslim hate speech

The circulation of far-right material by vehemently pro-Israel accounts is part of an effort by the far-right in Israel to embolden and spread Islamophobia among the UK far-right on social media, experts suggest.

Marc Owen Jones, a professor of Middle East Studies and Digital Humanities at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, said there is clear purpose behind pro-Israel accounts amplifying Islamophobic messaging in the context of the UK riots.

"A hasbara line is to present Israel as a bulwark against Islam spreading, and to spread anti-Muslim hate speech in order to make killing Arabs and Muslims more acceptable," he told The New Arab.

"X has been weaponised to spread rumours and hate speech, particularly targeting minorities and Muslims," he added in an interview with BBC.

This apparent effort has also manifested in support for individuals such as the former leader of the far-right English Defence league Tommy Robinson, with one account with 24,600 followers on X and describing themselves as Zionist, reposting much of Robinson's content and suggesting Muslims and minorities are a threat. 

Robinson is known to have connections to Israel's far right, with social media accounts sharing photos and accounts of his time with Robinson during his visit to Israel.

Far-right Israelis have also offered their support to other sections of the European far-right, with Netanyahu courting Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Israeli Diaspora minister Amichai Chikli offering support to France’s Marine Le Pen.

In 2019, the Times of Israel reported that the Middle East Forum, a pro-Israel US-based think tank paid nearly £60,000 on legal fees supporting Robinson during a legal trial he faced in the UK.