A trustee has been banned from senior charity roles for eight years after using her charity’s social media platform to post ‘divisive and inflammatory’ comments.

The Charity Commission has issued the ban to Tahrid Al-Mawed-Layton, who was a trustee and voluntary chief executive of the Palestinian Refugee Project, which supports Palestinians in camps in Lebanon.

In this role she had sole responsibility for the charity’s social media activity.

It found that her posts “could be interpreted as downplaying acts of terrorism” and questioned the recognition of Israel.

In handing her the band the Commission says that her actions were mismanagement and/or misconduct.

In addition, the charity has been issued with an official warning over its role in her posts. The regulator is particularly critical of the charity’s failure to implement a formal social media policy and the other trustees “lacked oversight” of what was being posted.

The regulator also raises concerns about the charity’s financial reporting as it is overdue in filing its accounts for both the years ending April 2023 and 2024.

Its case involving the charity remains ongoing.

“We found a number of serious failings at Palestinian Refugee Project, which put the charity’s finances and reputation at risk,” said the regulator’s head of compliance visits and inspections Joshua Farbridge.

“The charity, in effect, was being run by a single trustee who either did not understand, or failed to adhere to, basic trustee duties.

“It’s important to stress that the Commission does not seek to encroach on any individual’s right to freedom of speech, expression, or beliefs. And we recognise that events in the Middle East over recent months and years have been deeply emotive and distressing.

“However, trustees have clear legal obligations, including to act in line with the charity’s purpose and best interests, and act reasonably and prudently. Sadly, the good aims this charity set out to achieve was seriously undermined by the conduct and failings of its trustees.”

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