In the wake of the October 7 massacret, the UK has experienced an unprecedented rise in antisemitic incidents. Over 4,000 antisemitic events were recorded in 2023 alone, with a large number linked to the circulation of false and inflammatory narratives online. The dissemination of disinformation—particularly that which misrepresents the conflict in Israel and Gaza—has played a direct role in fuelling hate crimes, school-based harassment, and the radicalisation of public discourse.
What makes this trend more alarming is the involvement of registered UK charities—organisations that benefit from public trust, tax exemptions, and regulatory protections. Some of these charities have disseminated or failed to correct demonstrably false and incendiary content. One such case involves the CEO of Hope Not Hate, who publicly shared a debunked claim that “14,000 babies in Gaza would die within 48 hours”—a figure later retracted by its original UN source. Despite widespread corrections, the claim remained accessible online, feeding antisemitic conspiracy theories at a time of heightened threat to Jewish communities across the UK.
This policy briefing, co-published by We Believe In Israel and Stop The Hate UK, sets out a clear, urgent case for reform. Current Charity Commission guidance does not explicitly address “disinformation” or provide trustees with adequate tools to assess when false or defamatory public statements amount to misconduct or mismanagement. This regulatory vacuum weakens the Commission’s ability to act against hate speech masked as humanitarian advocacy.
