The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council have said they will meet the Conservative Party to discuss the selection of a former neo-Nazi as a council candidate, but declined to meet Joshua Bonehill-Paine himself.
In a joint statement, the two groups said:
“The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council have declined the Conservative party’s invitation to meet with a former neo-Nazi with criminal convictions for antisemitic hatred. The severity of Joshua Bonehill-Paine’s crimes targeting Luciana Berger and others mean that he still faces ongoing legal restrictions.
Whilst we do believe in the possibility of rehabilitation, this should not in this case entail selection as a candidate for a major political party, and the impact of this decision on the victims ought to be a central consideration. We have agreed to meet the Conservative party to discuss their decision-making processes and to urge them to rescind this decision.
Bonehill-Paine was jailed in 2016 after he was convicted of racially aggravated harassment of Labour peer Luciana Berger, who is Jewish. He was previously jailed for producing an advert for a neo-Nazi rally illustrated with a picture of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz which promised “an absolute gas”.
He has since apologised for his past offending, and said he has now dedicated himself to “challenging the wave of hatred British Jews continue to face”.
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