Jewish Leaders Reject Meeting Former Neo-Nazi Conservative Candidate in UK

Jewish leadership groups in the UK, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, have refused to meet with Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a former neo-Nazi and antisemitic figure recently selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the town of Crockern in South Somerset. Bonehill-Paine was imprisoned in 2016 for racially harassing Luciana Berger, a Jewish Labour Party member, and for producing a neo-Nazi rally advertisement featuring an image of Auschwitz. Since then, he claims to have renounced his past views and apologized, asserting he now fights antisemitism. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has defended him on this basis.

The Jewish organizations announced plans to meet with Conservative Party officials to discuss candidate selection processes and urged the party to withdraw Bonehill-Paine’s candidacy, emphasizing the severity of his crimes and their impact on victims. Luciana Berger also criticized the choice, stating that while rehabilitation is important, it does not automatically qualify someone for public office, especially given his history of sustained hate campaigns.

Bonehill-Paine responded to the controversy by highlighting his belief in rehabilitation and change, arguing that communities are stronger when people are judged by their current lives rather than their worst past actions. He acknowledged the pain his past caused, particularly within the Jewish community, and said he has spent years working against antisemitism and extremism since his release from prison. He conducts training sessions and seminars for various institutions, including universities, schools, police, and welfare services. Bonehill-Paine admitted his past antisemitic ideology was deeply ingrained but insisted that his rehabilitation motivates him to warn others against following a similar destructive path.