Jewish leaders refuse to meet with former neo-Nazi Tory candidate

• Jewish leaders, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council , have declined an offer to meet Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a former antisemitic internet troll selected as a Conservative council candidate for Crewkerne South ward in Somerset .
• Bonehill-Paine was previously jailed in 2016 for racially aggravated harassment against Labour peer Baroness Luciana Berger , who is Jewish, and for producing an advert for a neo-Nazi rally featuring a picture of Auschwitz.
• Despite his criminal past, Bonehill-Paine has apologised for his actions and claims to be dedicated to challenging antisemitism, a stance Kemi Badenoch used to defend his selection, emphasising belief in rehabilitation.
• The Jewish organisations stated they would meet with the Conservative Party to discuss their candidate selection processes and urge them to rescind Bonehill-Paine's candidacy, highlighting the severity of his crimes and the impact on victims.
• Baroness Berger also criticised the selection, arguing that while rehabilitation is important, it does not automatically qualify someone for public office, especially given his history of sustained campaigns of hatred.