Charities must not become forums for “hate speech”, a watchdog has said, as it warned of “serious concerns” about alleged antisemitic and hateful activities linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Charity Commission vowed to “deal strongly with those who intentionally or recklessly abuse charities in England and Wales”, and warned that it would not allow “premises, events or online content to become forums for hate speech”.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the watchdog’s chair Orlando Fraser KC praised the many UK-based charities who have intensified their efforts “to promote cohesion and combat extremism” in the face of increasing reports of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes.
But he warned that “this good work could be undermined by a few individuals abusing their privileged positions to fuel division and tension”.
The watchdog “is aware of a significant number of serious concerns about activities linked to the conflict in Israel and Gaza”, Mr Fraser said.
“These include charities representing communities across the religious divide, although these, to date, largely concern allegations of antisemitic or hate speech,” he added. “Charities must not allow their premises, events or online content to become forums for hate speech against any community or unlawful extremism.
“The Charity Commission will not stand by and permit charities to be abused in this way. Where there proves to have been wrongdoing, make no mistake, we will deal with it robustly.”
It comes weeks after the government’s culture secretary Lucy Frazer wrote to the Charity Commission warning that charities “promoting extremist narratives ... risk undermining our wider system of charity regulation”.
Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets in the UK to demand a ceasefire in Gaza in the weeks since the conflict erupted— (Anadolu via Getty Images)
That warning was part of a wider move by the government to urge zero tolerance for any alleged hate speech in universities and the health service, as tensions run high over the conflict ignited in Gaza by Hamas’s cross-border massacre on 7 October, which sparked Israel’s subsequent bombardment and invasion of the strip.
Mr Fraser appeared to allude to a previous case in which an Islamic centre allegedly hosted a vigil for assassinated Iranian military chief Qassem Soleimani in 2020, and another charity apparently linked to far-right extremism, as he insisted that the watchdog has “acted when similar concerns have been raised in the past”.
“We act just as strongly on any form of hate speech or extremism, whichever community it stems from or is directed at,” he said.
“At a time of heightened tensions, people expect charities to lead the way in bringing us together. That does not mean that they must avoid sensitive or controversial issues – charities are free to campaign so long as it relates to their charitable purposes.
“But I am clear that they have a responsibility to do so with respect, tolerance and consideration for others. They must avoid inflammatory rhetoric that stokes division and may undermine trust in the sector.”
