From: Dathan, Matthew
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2025 5:23 PM
To: IHRC Media <media@ihrc.org>
Subject: Palestine Action

Hi there, we’re writing a story about the links between your organisation and Palestine Action, soon to become a proscribed organisation by the Home Office.
We have been told that the IHRC has donated to Palestine Action in the past. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing in this regard but we wanted to give you the opportunity to comment and answer our questions.
– Has the IHRC or its individuals donated to Palestine Action?
– How much have you donated to Palestine Action?
– Has the IHRC provided any other support to Palestine Action?

Many thanks,

Matt

Matt Dathan, | Home Affairs Editor | The Times

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Dear Mr Dathan

Thank you for your email.

We note with interest that you explicitly state, “There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing in this regard.” That being the case, it is unclear why you feel there is a story here at all — or why IHRC is being subjected to an interrogation based on lawful, public positions in support of human rights and protest.

As always, we will publish this exchange in full to ensure there is an accurate public record of our position and your approach.

Kind regards,
IHRC Media

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Hi there, thank you for your response. I note you didn’t answer my question about donations to Palestine Action.
– Has the IHRC or its individuals donated to Palestine Action?
– How much have you donated to Palestine Action?
– Has the IHRC provided any other support to Palestine Action?

We are looking into the finances of Palestine Action in the interests of transparency and accountability. They do not publish their financial accounts. We believe there is a public interest in knowing who is funding the group. That is why we have come to you out of courtesy to ask whether you are funding Palestine Action.
If you do not wish to comment, we will reflect that in our coverage.
If you do wish to comment, please send through a statement.
I’m also happy to speak on the phone.

As with all media requests, this was a request for comment, conducted via email, not for publication.
As I hope you will respect with me, I will not publish anything from this exchange unless it its stated on the record.
So I would ask you not to publish our exchange.

Thank you,

Matt

Matt Dathan, | Home Affairs Editor | The Times

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Dear Mr Dathan,
Thank you for your email.

We are happy to clarify: we do not normally fund third-party organisations or their projects. While we support the aims and objectives of Palestine Action—namely, opposition to the crimes of Israel—we have not provided them with any financial or material support. It is also worth noting that they have never requested such support, so it is unclear why we would have given them any money.

Regarding your request not to publish this exchange, we must respectfully decline. As a matter of policy, we publish our correspondence with journalists in full. This is to ensure transparency and accountability, particularly as our experience has shown that responses are often selectively quoted to fit a predetermined narrative. Publishing the complete exchange allows the public to see the full context, not just excerpts chosen by the journalist to support their particular agenda.

This is not a personal criticism of you. You will find that we have followed the same approach in previous correspondence with your colleagues at The Times, as well as with journalists from The Telegraph, Jewish Chronicle, and others.

Kind regards,
IHRC Media