JEWISH campaigners renewed calls today for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA) to lose its charity registration after the Charity Commission closed an investigation into the group.
Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL) began demanding a probe more than four years ago, accusing the group of political partisanship.
The CAA, which raised anti-semitism allegations against Labour when it was led by Jeremy Corbyn, has branded JVL a “sham” Jewish organisation.
A string of defamatory remarks directed at the left-wing group include a claim that its members are anti-semitism deniers and “supportive of extreme elements.”
The commission said it had opened a regulatory compliance case last year.
But earlier this month, the regulator claimed that JVL had failed to make “a clear case that it is a person that is or may be affected by the registration of CAA.”
JVL co-chairwoman Jenny Manson said she was very “disturbed” to learn that a statuary body “thinks they can shut up what they consider to be minority voices.”
She said that the campaign’s mode of operation “is to use anti-semitism as the tool to silence critics of Israel.”
An organisation cannot be registered as a charity “if its purposes are political,” the commission’s guidelines say.
Lawyer Geoffery Bindman KC said: “The evidence provided by JVL is of CAA challenging criticism of Israeli policies and conduct towards Palestinians. This is clearly political.
“While combating anti-semitism and other forms of racism is clearly a legitimate charitable purpose, attacking expressions of opinion about Israeli conduct towards Palestinians is not.”
North London community rabbi Chaim Blayer also wrote to the commission backing the call for an investigation, saying that CAA messaging tends towards “generating division” between Jewish groups.
He accused campaign leader Gideon Falter of having “misrepresented the experience and views of many Jews” concerning peaceful protest against Israel’s actions.
Mr Falter has claimed that “terrorism is glorified” at pro-Palestinian marches and called for the army to be deployed against them.
He has been accused by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign of attempting to start a provocation at a march last month.
The CAA shared proposed measures on how to police the marches with the Home Office, which it says were echoed in Lord Walney’s report on curbing protests.
Ms Manson said that the campaign was giving “ammunition” to “dangerous nonsense” around the marches and is, alongside the government, aiming to “split us from Muslim communities, split us from each other and split us from decent thinking.”
A Charity Commission spokesperson said the regulatory compliance case had been closed “after assessing the various concerns raised and issuing the charity with advice and guidance.”
On the JVL request to remove CAA from the charity register, the commission “concluded it has not demonstrated it has the required legal standing to make such an application,” adding that JVL could ask for the decision to be reviewed.
