Urge the Charity Commission to Hold Charities Accountable for Antisemitic Disinformation

In 2023, the UK recorded the highest number of antisemitic incidents in its history. Many of these were fuelled by false and inflammatory narratives about the Israel–Gaza conflict—some of which were amplified not by fringe extremists, but by registered UK charities.

Charities enjoy public trust, tax benefits, and a platform for influence. But with that privilege must come responsibility. It is unacceptable that UK charities are able to disseminate or endorse disinformation—especially when that disinformation incites hatred against Jewish communities—without regulatory consequence.

Recent examples include public claims made by senior charity figures that were later debunked, retracted, or shown to be dangerously misleading. The Charity Commission’s current guidance does not define or address “disinformation,” leaving trustees without the tools to prevent harm and the public without recourse.

We are calling on the Charity Commission to:

• Update guidance (CC9) to define and prohibit disinformation as a form of misconduct.

• Ensure that antisemitic narratives—whether direct or implied—are treated as hate, not humanitarianism.

• Introduce clear thresholds for enforcement and serious incident reporting when a charity spreads false or inciteful claims.

🚨 Join us in taking action. Send a message to the Charity Commission urging them to reform the rules and protect the public from charitable misuse. It takes just one minute to make your voice heard.

👉 USE OUR MODEL LETTER

👉 READ OUR POLCY BRIEFING

Let’s make it clear: charity should never be a shield for hate.

Model Letter:

Dear Charity Commission,

I am writing as a concerned member of the public to express my deep alarm over the current regulatory gap that allows registered UK charities to spread disinformation—particularly content that fuels antisemitism—without facing appropriate scrutiny or accountability.

As outlined in the recently published policy briefing by We Believe In Israel and Stop The Hate UK, titled “Holding Charities Accountable for Disinformation and Antisemitism,” the Commission’s existing guidance (including CC9 on campaigning) fails to explicitly address the dissemination of false or misleading claims by charities and their representatives. In the current climate, this is not just a technical oversight—it is a matter of public safety and social cohesion.

The briefing documents how some UK-registered charities have shared demonstrably false narratives during the Israel–Gaza conflict, including widely discredited claims later retracted by international bodies. These narratives have directly contributed to a surge in antisemitic incidents, as reported by the Community Security Trust.

Charity law rightly demands that organisations serve the public benefit and refrain from political partisanship, hate speech, or defamation. Yet without explicit provisions to address disinformation—particularly when used to target Jewish communities—these standards cannot be upheld in practice.

I urge the Charity Commission to take the following actions, as recommended in the briefing:

• Update the “Speaking Out” (CC9) guidance to define disinformation and classify its deliberate or reckless dissemination as misconduct.

• Clarify that antisemitic content, including defamatory or inflammatory statements against Jews or Israel, constitutes a breach of trustees’ legal duties under the Charities Act 2011.

• Revise serious incident reporting guidance to include disinformation as a reportable risk to reputation and public trust.

• Establish enforcement thresholds, including criteria for when a charity may face investigation or regulatory sanction over harmful falsehoods.

Charitable status is a privilege, not a shield for ideological activism that undermines social harmony. The public rightly expects the Commission to act when that trust is violated.

I respectfully ask you to review the proposals outlined in the policy briefing and take urgent steps to modernise the regulatory framework.

Yours sincerely,