A neo-Nazi past and a conviction for antisemitism: The candidate stirring up the UK

The leader of the Conservative Party in the UK, Kemi Badenoch, defended her party's decision to allow Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a former neo-Nazi who was imprisoned for antisemitic harassment, to run in the local elections in the county of Somerset, according to a report in the 'Guardian'.

Badenoch argued that Bonehill-Paine has expressed remorse for his actions and that since his release from prison he has been working against extremism. The report states that the former prisoner lectures in schools and universities and even participates in training staff for the Prevent program, which is designed to prevent radicalization.

According to her, a distinction must be made between running for a local position and candidacy for parliament. Badenoch said that Bonehill-Paine is not receiving a national platform, but is running for a position on a local council that deals, among other things, with issues such as parking and waste collection. However, she clarified that her threshold for candidates for the House of Commons is higher.

Bonehill-Paine was sentenced in 2015 to more than three years in prison after posting antisemitic content online ahead of a neo-Nazi rally. In 2016, he was also convicted of racially aggravated harassment of former Member of Parliament Luciana Berger, after posting antisemitic and offensive messages against her.

Berger criticized the Conservative Party's decision and said that there is a fundamental difference between returning to society after serving a sentence and running for public office. According to her, she is still dealing with the profound consequences of the harassment campaign that was conducted against her.