'Bibi's deputy social media adviser' deletes tweet supporting Tommy Robinson - The Jewish Chronicle

A man who is reportedly the deputy social media adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister has deleted a tweet in support of Tommy Robinson after it attracted criticism. Hananya Naftali tweeted his support after Mr Robinson was arrested for breaching the peace outside a Leeds courthouse. Mr Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was arrested while filming a Facebook Live video outside a trial on Friday morning. On Tuesday, reporting restrictions were lifted to reveal he was jailed for 13 months for breaching contempt of court laws within hours of his arrest. Following Mr Robinson's arrest but before his sentencing was revealed, Mr Naftali tweeted: “Free Tommy Robinson! “He has done nothing wrong and it is his right to express his freedom of speech. #FreeTommy #FreeTommyRobinson”. The tweet appears to have now been deleted. In a video of the arrest, Mr Robinson can be heard asking one of his supporters: “Can you get me a solicitor? “This is ridiculous, I haven’t said a word. I’ve done nothing.” Mr Robinson was already under a suspended sentence before his latest arrest. Mr Robinson made a high-profile exit from the EDL in 2015, when he announced he was leaving because the group had grown too extreme. But British Jewish communal organisations, such as the Board of Deputies, have previously rejected Mr Robinson’s support for British Jews. In 2017 the board distanced itself from the far right activist after he was said to have attended a Jewish community event in Manchester. “Tommy Robinson’s record of anti-Muslim provocation means that he could never be a partner of a respectable or mainstream Jewish organisation,” it said in a statement. Mr Naftali also appears to have removed two retweets of other people defending Mr Robinson, including one who tweeted: "The police are the ENEMY". Neither the Israeli embassy in London nor the Israeli Government commented when approached by the JC. Mr Naftali did not respond to request for comment. Mr Naftali's appointment to work for Mr Netanyahu was reported in April by The Jerusalem Post, which drew attention to his full-throated defences of Israel he often posts to his social media. The prime minister's social media adviser told the paper he had "hired a superstar". Last year, Mr Naftali filmed himself interviewing Mr Netanyahu, in which he asked the PM for tips on how people should defend Israel against its critics.