Conservative MP Bob Blackman has accused Iran-linked groups of exploiting Britain’s charity sector to spread influence, writing in an op-ed after the cancellation of a children’s camp in Hertfordshire he said was run by supporters of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
“The summer camp in rural Hertfordshire is just the latest example of how Iran abuses Britain’s charity sector, exploiting our commendable history of philanthropy to spread its tentacles and influence across our land, while sowing discord in our communities,” Blackman wrote for UK-based political website ConservativeHome on Tuesday.
The summer school camp known as Camp Wilayah, run by the Ahlulbayt Islamic Mission (AIM), was cancelled last week due to what its organizer described as safety threats, following accusations by a right-wing political party that it has ties to the Islamic Republic.
Blackman criticized other London-based groups including the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), and the Islamic Center of England, alleging that they have ties to Iran’s leadership and spread Tehran-backed narratives through UK-registered charities.
"Two other London charities with links to Iran, Dar Al Hekma Trust and Abrar Islamic Foundation, are currently being probed by the national terrorist financial investigation unit," he added.
Pointing to the government’s new foreign-influence registration rules, Blackman urged tougher action against “pro-Iranian regime activists” and questioned whether the IRGC would be proscribed by the United Kingdom.
“A start would be ridding our charity sector of extremists,” he said.
On June 30, a report by The Telegraph accused Iran of conducting a “shadow war” inside the United Kingdom that extends beyond sanctions violations and includes propaganda, financial networks, and digital disinformation campaigns aimed at dividing society
In July, John Woodcock, Baron Walney, the UK government’s former extremism adviser, said: “We cannot allow propaganda and influence from this theocratic dictatorship to be spread to children in the UK.”
