No matter what the cost, Elica Le Bon knows there will never be a point in her life when she regrets speaking out.
Le Bon has been a social media phenomenon (the term “influencer” doesn’t sit well with her), using her substantial platform to eloquently and intelligently combat the breathtaking amount of misinformation and disinformation flying around.
Since October 7, she has been the ultimate voice of clarity coming from outside of the community as she continues to advocate for Israel and the Jewish people, despite not being Jewish herself.
“I’m never going to look back and say, oh, maybe I was wrong about this. It’s not something that I have doubts about,” Le Bon tells The AJN.
“For me it’s a slam dunk, and it’s something that I have such a high degree of conviction about that it’s not something that I think I would ever regret.”
Le Bon is in Australia to speak at a series of completely sold-out events for UIA Australia Women’s Division. Her name has been the drawcard, with so many attending their very first community get-togethers simply to hear and see her in person.
“It makes me think about how bad it must be that people are just desperately clinging on to any voice that’s sharing their messages and their values,” she says.
Le Bon was born in London to Iranian parents, before she moved to the US to study law. She spent a decade practising as a lawyer, but was also an activist long before October 7, dedicating her efforts to advocating for the rights of Iranian women and speaking out against Islamic extremism. She had been posting about Iran since the murder of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the “morality” police for showing her hair in 2022.
It’s this background that played a huge part in her decision to use her voice and her platform following the horrific events of October 7.
“We’ve seen the way that the uniting of different forces, like Islamist forces and leftist forces, have destroyed societies – especially in Iran,” says Le Bon.
“And so having that background made me very vigilant. Then seeing these patterns recurring again in the West, which for many of us were the last places we had to be safe, set off alarm bells for me.
“I felt like I really needed to speak out to make sure that what happened in Iran doesn’t happen again.”
But Le Bon was surprised by the reaction. Prior to October 7, she says there was nothing polarising or divisive about the conversations she had been having with people who understood terrorism when it was spoken about in relation to Iran.
“Then after October 7, there was just a really weird time when people decided that these terrorists were different terrorists, that they were actually freedom fighters,” she says.
“And it became very clear that our society was deeply, morally confused and they were holding beliefs and ideas that didn’t make sense – probably even to them.
“They watched everything that I did for a year before October 7, they understood the dangers, but then when it came to October 7 it was just a completely different ball game.
“They were just like, no, these are freedom fighters, and if you don’t support their massacre, then you’re a paid Zionist shill. Well, how about the fact that I just believe in the right to exist and live and not be murdered? Is that so insane? Is that so insane that you feel the need to end your relationship with me?”
Le Bon lost many friendships and people she knew, or thought she knew, and admits to struggling through a number of mental breakdowns.
“I was quite hysterical because I was so scared and confused by the reaction of my friends and everyone around me,” she says.
“It was genuinely earth-shattering and it was jaw-dropping. It made my nervous system go through the roof, because I just couldn’t understand. How are these people, who I’ve known since childhood, how are they jihadi supporters?
“We’ve sort of gotten to the place where we’re normalised to this insanity.”
Of course, speaking out is especially dangerous for Le Bon and her family as she could be considered an Iranian dissident. She has also been accused of being a spy for Mossad or the CIA and she and her family members have been doxxed.
“People are actually mentally unwell,” she says.
“What we are witnessing now is sort of a different version of killing people, where it’s not necessarily actually killing them, but it’s character assassination. So you kill their influence, you kill their credibility, and to that extent there is no end that these people have not gone to to try and assassinate my character.
“All of these things have been said, but it doesn’t work because they cannot kill the credibility of genuinely authentic voices that are fighting for the values that we believe.”
So much has changed for Le Bon over the last 17 months – “for the better and so much for the worse” – but doors have opened up for her because people are interested in what she has to say.
She guarantees that there are “tons” of people who support everything she says, but who are just too terrified to hit the “like” button in case anyone else sees their “like”.
“It’s so sad that this is the state of our society, that they’re afraid to press ‘like’ on statements that do nothing except endorse the values that we have,” she says.
“I’m not going out there and saying something extreme, but they’re too scared to even like the things that make sense, because these are the times we live in.”
Le Bon, who used to consider herself a “leftie”, is incredulous when it comes to the anti-Israel protests that have taken over streets and university campuses around the Western world, because none of them would be tolerated in the Middle East where, “people know the threat of terrorism”.
“They know the threat of jihadism,” she says.
“That’s why in the United Arab Emirates, in Saudi Arabia, they have strict anti-terrorism laws. So all these protests that you’re seeing on campuses, you’ll never see them in the UAE and you’ll never see them in Saudi because they’ll instantly be arrested and deported. Why? Because they’ve seen what happens when that goes unchecked, and what happens is that they start to get murdered. They do not allow the empowering of terrorists. And so it’s hilarious and hysterical that the Middle East is more vigilant about jihadists and terrorism than the useful idiots in the West.”
It’s become almost impossible to engage with the so-called “useful idiots”, particularly the ones on campuses, but Le Bon utilises her skills as best she can. So far, they have served her well, and those brave enough to enter into a debate with her do so at their own peril. We have seen her beautifully shut down the jihadist narrative while live on Piers Morgan and multiple other TV shows.
“We live in a time of offence culture and so one of the advantages that I have is that I have this history of being a leftie, so I know how to navigate offence culture,” she says.
“I know how to say things without being offensive, though some people are going to find me offensive anyway. Then the other part of it is being a lawyer, where you develop these skills in how to use language. You’re careful to frame the arguments in a way that they are rational and logical, while also navigating the offence culture.”
For anyone wanting advice on how to speak up and engage on social media, Le Bon says it’s usually best not to say anything too polarising or political, but her number one tip would be to just remain authentic.
“People can sense authenticity and people can sense when you’re speaking from the heart,” she says.
“So if you want to convey a message to people that actually gets through, it’s best to avoid making things too political or seem like you’re pushing a specific agenda. Just be authentic about your messages.”
Le Bon has received the warmest of welcomes by the Jewish community in Australia. At the UIA Women’s Division events, hundreds of women lined up to have a photo with her and thank her for her advocacy.
“I think it’s because it’s rare to have outsiders not just speaking up, but understanding,” Le Bon says about the gratitude so many have shown to her.
“Over this 17-month journey I have heard from scholars of antisemitism, who have been in this game for more than three decades, that they’re still digging. They’re still digging because antisemitism is such an unbelievably, deeply entrenched, long standing, bizarre phenomenon that you really have to invest in to understand it.
“Speaking up against hatred against Jews is one thing, and it’s really a noble thing to do because it comes at great risk, but even more than that is understanding the plight of the community. That’s a deep investment, so I think people just appreciate when they see that outsiders are investing in their history, their history of persecution.”
During her speaking tour, Le Bon has told packed audiences across Australia how inspired she is by the strength and unity of Jewish communities around the world.
“I have been everywhere, in every community, I’ve gone around the world and I have never seen anything like the Jewish community before,” she says.
“The unbelievable way that there’s just this sense of responsibility to protect each other, people you don’t even know thousands of miles away, because they are one of you, because they are your community.
“I don’t think there’s any other community anywhere in the world that does this and it blows my mind. Genuinely, every day my mind is blown. How can you care so much about each other? It’s so inspiring and it makes you want to be a part of that.”
The last 17 months have taken a toll, but Le Bon has offered the Jewish community important words of encouragement.
“I know that you are subjected to so much hate in the world right now and it’s so scary and it’s overwhelming,” she says.
“Don’t let the enemy’s voice become your voice. Remember who you are. Remember the voice in your head, which is the voice of your ancestors who survived every single time.
“If you keep telling yourself what your ancestors know, you will survive this too.”
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