An article that misrepresents IHRC was published on 21 August 2022 by the Mail on Sunday based in the UK. We attach for download and screenshot below, the correspondence between the IHRC Press Office and Max Aitchison who wrote the piece.
As the correspondence outlines repeatedly, Mr. Aitchison was either very confused and unable to fathom basic issues around charities and not for profit organisations in the UK or he was deliberately trying to misrepresent the organisation, and as a result manufacture public outrage.
In summary:
- The article implies that general taxpayers / public in the UK have somehow funded IHRC through its charitable arm, IHRC Trust. This is incorrect. IHRC Trust utilises Gift Aid options as do most if not all charities in the UK. This means that the UK tax paying donors to the Trust can choose for their tax money (payable on their donation) to be given to the Trust when making a donation.
- As the last email from the Press Office makes clear to Mr. Aitchison, we see no reason, however much any media outlet wishes to bully us, to respond to demands to answer their questions. As the Press Office outlines to Mr. Aitchison:
With regard to the ‘opportunity’ to condemn the attack on Rushdie you have offered, we are not entirely sure why you would be offering such opportunities. It is unclear who else you would be offering those opportunities to, and finally why anyone would feel the need to take you up on those offers. We don’t think you can infer anything from that or Mr. Shadjareh’s quote beyond the fact that you offering such opportunities appears somewhat conceited on your part.
3. Mr. Shadjareh and indeed IHRC’s opinion on the need for due process in all matters is a matter of (longstanding) record.
4. One need only look at the figures online who are have shared and promoted the article to see that it panders to some of the most right wing, racist and Islamophobic figures and organisations. This is yet another example of the degeneration of journalism in the UK.
IHRC will of course, time and resources permitting, take this matter up with relevant standards bodies.
