Tories offer Jewish groups meeting with ex-neo-Nazi activist candidate
The Conservative Party faces backlash for selecting a former neo-Nazi activist for local elections, while Kemi Badenoch defends the decision and offers direct talks with Jewish leaders.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- The Conservative Party is under fire for selecting Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a Somerset Council candidate.
- The party has offered Jewish groups a direct meeting with the candidate to address their concerns.
- Tory leader Kemi Badenoch defended the selection, stating the party believes in second chances.
- Bonehill-Paine previously served prison time for antisemitic material and racial harassment.
The Conservative Party has extended an offer to prominent Jewish groups for a direct meeting with their council election candidate, Joshua Bonehill-Paine, who previously served a prison sentence for neo-Nazi activism. The decision to slate him for a seat on Somerset Council has drawn fierce criticism from various quarters, but Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has stood by the choice, arguing that she wants to give him an opportunity to redeem himself.
Bonehill-Paine has publicly characterized his former extremist views as indefensible and now travels the country to speak out against radicalization. Despite this turnaround, the Board of Deputies of British Jews has strongly urged the Conservatives to drop him from the ballot, describing his selection as something that beggars belief.
This controversy highlights the delicate political tightrope parties walk when attempting to balance rehabilitation philosophies with deep-rooted community concerns regarding antisemitism and hate speech. In the UK political landscape, fielding candidates with histories linked to far-right extremism inevitably triggers rigorous scrutiny from advocacy groups and political opponents alike.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
In an effort to mitigate the backlash, party officials have reportedly arranged for the Board of Deputies, alongside the Jewish Leadership Council and Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, to sit down with Bonehill-Paine and discuss their worries face-to-face. Bonehill-Paine's criminal record includes a three-year prison stint for publishing antisemitic content ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally, followed by a conviction a year later for the racial harassment of then-Labour MP Luciana Berger, who now sits in the House of Lords.
"Published reams of deeply racist, misoginistic and pornographic material about me."
Luciana Berger
Reacting on X to news of his political candidacy, Berger stated that the ordeal still haunts her, noting the extensive volume of deeply racist, misogynistic, and pornographic material targeted at her. She firmly asserted her belief that a man with such a background should hold no role in public life. Meanwhile, Bonehill-Paine claims his reformation was sparked by the murder of MP Jo Cox, after which he underwent de-radicalization and now delivers counter-extremism workshops across the United Kingdom.
Source: BBC Politics
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