The government is investigating the granting of a royal award to a Lancashire-based interfaith charity after allegations that it has been associated with antisemitic activity.
Building Bridges in Burnley was given a King’s Award for Voluntary Service – the highest award given to voluntary groups across the UK – last year for its work in promoting harmony between different faith and non-secular communities.
However, a Jewish Chronicle investigation earlier this year alleged that the charity, set up in 2001 following race riots in Burnley, has been associated with antisemitic activity.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed it was investigating the situation while the Charity Commission said it had opened a compliance case.
Charity staff reportedly shared posts comparing Israel to Nazi Germany
The Jewish Chronicle highlighted social media activity by a supposed vice president of the charity, Mozaquir Ali, and former director Bea Foster, who resigned after the newspaper’s initial report.
Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, a Building Bridges spokesperson said: “We are aware of social media posts shared by individuals on personal accounts that are not connected with our organisation.
“We take such matters very seriously and, upon being alerted, immediately engaged with relevant stakeholders.
“An internal investigation is being conducted, and we are not able to comment further whilst this is ongoing.”
A DCMS spokesperson said: “The promotion of antisemitic, extremist or terrorist views in charities is completely unacceptable, and we are continuing our investigation into the situation."
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We are clear that no charity should be misused as a platform for inflammatory or derogatory content and we take any such allegations very seriously.
“We can confirm that we have an open regulatory compliance case into Building Bridges in Burnley to examine concerns raised about social media posts by individuals involved in the charity.”
