The Charity Commission is assessing a statement by the Campaign Against Antisemitism in which it called the government’s decision to suspend 30 arms export licences to Israel “obscene”.
The review follows a complaint by the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who wrote to the commission asking how the blogpost was consistent with the CAA’s stated charitable objectives, amid allegations that it represents improper political activity.
The Foreign Office announced in September that it was suspending the export licences because of a “clear risk” the arms may be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law, given concerns about the way Israel had conducted itself in the Gaza conflict.
The following day, the CAA wrote on its website: “The British government is broadcasting that western allies should not be supplying Israel with the arms that it needs to fight to save the hostages and defeat Hamas. This is obscene.”
The CAA said the Labour government’s decisions had “all been hostile toward the Jewish state” and that the licence suspensions followed legal advice from the attorney general, Richard Hermer, “whose views on Israel were well-known before he was appointed”. Hermer was a signatory to a letter by prominent Jewish lawyers condemning the 7 October attacks by Hamas but calling for Israel to respond in accordance with international law.
McDonnell, who has been suspended from the Labour party for voting against the two-child benefit limit, wrote to the Charity Commission last month about its decision to drop a long running investigation into the CAA for alleged political partisanship.
In the letter, he said that the CAA “has engaged in highly political and contentious public attacks on the government and individual government ministers”.
McDonnell wrote that he had sought – and agreed with – the views of the veteran human rights lawyer Geoffrey Bindman KC, who had told him: “CAA is, according to its website, ‘a volunteer-led charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerant enforcement of the law’. There being no evidence of antisemitism by the UK government or others targeted by CAA, the Charity Commission should consider afresh whether the actions of CAA violate its charitable status.”
Replying to McDonnell, the commission said: “In relation to the new concern you have raised about recent political statements the CAA has published on its website, I have shared these with our operational teams who are assessing the comments made in line with our risk framework. The new assessment is solely focused on the charity’s September 2024 website statement.”
The commission confirmed to the Guardian it was assessing the comments and “any next steps”. It has previously issued guidance to the CAA on political activity.
Separately, in April, the CAA was embroiled in controversy when it released a short video clip showing a Met sergeant telling the CAA chief executive, Gideon Falter, that because he appeared “openly Jewish” he would not be allowed to walk across a pro-Palestinian protest march in London. A longer version of the exchange showed the officer saying he was concerned Falter was trying to provoke a confrontation with marchers.
The CAA has been approached for comment.
