British politician Kemi Badenoch has defended the selection of a former neo-Nazi, Joshua Bonehill-Paine, as a Conservative council candidate, asserting that he has demonstrated significant rehabilitation. Bonehill-Paine, who was jailed in 2016 for racially aggravated harassment against Baroness Luciana Berger, has been selected to run for the Crewkerne South ward in Somerset.
Bonehill-Paine's past offenses include writing blog posts that targeted Baroness Berger, then a Labour MP, with anti-Semitic remarks and producing an advertisement for a neo-Nazi rally that referenced Auschwitz. Badenoch acknowledged these actions were "appalling, abhorrent even" but argued that Bonehill-Paine's current work, including training police officers on anti-Semitism and extremism, indicates he is "more than contrite."
"I am extremely worried about anti-Semitism, and what I feel is that if we can't have the people who have previously been radicalised, who understand what went wrong and are part of the fight against anti-Semitism now," Badenoch told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "If we're saying no, no, no, you're untouchable, then how can we pretend that we believe in rehabilitation?"
She differentiated between a local council candidacy and a national political platform, stating, "I'm not giving him a national platform, he is standing to be a councillor in Somerset. It is a local platform looking at parking, sorting out bins, that's what councillors do. It's not a national platform."
Baroness Berger and representatives from Jewish community groups have called for the Conservative Party to reverse the decision. Baroness Berger stated that there is a "massive distinction" between educating others about past wrongs and standing for public office. Karen Newman, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, criticized the selection as unbelievable and called for a review of the party's vetting processes. Dave Rich, director of policy at the Community Security Trust, noted that while Bonehill-Paine's work in warning against extremism is understandable, his candidacy for a representative role may be "a step too far."
Bonehill-Paine himself has stated he has "no excuses" for his past conduct and has since dedicated himself to challenging hatred against British Jews. He is also known for creating satirical AI-generated videos of politicians on social media, though Badenoch characterized this work as secondary to his efforts against anti-Semitism.
