UK Jewish groups said Wednesday they had rejected an offer to meet with Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a former neo-Nazi activist who served a prison term for antisemitic offenses and who was selected to run in a local council election by the Conservative Party.

In a joint statement, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said they had ‘”declined the Conservative Party’s invitation to meet with a former neo-Nazi with criminal convictions for antisemitic hatred.”

The Jewish groups said that “the severity of Joshua Bonehill-Paine’s crimes targeting Luciana Berger and others mean that he still faces ongoing legal restrictions,” referring to the Jewish former Labour MP who was targeted by Bonehill-Paine.

“Whilst we do believe in the possibility of rehabilitation, this should not in this case entail selection as a candidate for a political party, and the impact of this decision on the victims ought to be a central consideration,” they added.

The organizations said they had agreed to meet Conservative Party officials to discuss the party’s decision-making process and urge it to rescind Bonehill-Paine’s selection.

The statement came after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch again defended the decision to allow Bonehill-Paine to stand in the local council of Somerset, arguing that he had........

© The Times of Israel