The Charity Commission has issued a formal warning to a Cardiff-based charity after it shared a video seen as supporting the terrorist group Hamas.

The Al-Manar Centre Trust, which operates a mosque and aims to promote Islamic education and foster community relations, was found to have committed misconduct and/or mismanagement in its handling of social media content.

The Commission launched a statutory inquiry in February 2024 after becoming aware of a video shared on the charity’s social media in November 2023.

According to the regulator, the video included content that could be interpreted as supportive of Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organisation.

The inquiry found that the charity’s chair, who managed its social media, had only listened to the audio before sharing the video. He believed the audio aligned with the charity’s aims but failed to review the visual content.

The regulator said the video presented a positive image of Hamas and attempted to justify its October 2023 terrorist attack on Israel.

It concluded that a reasonable person could infer the charity was endorsing or glorifying terrorism and even based on the audio alone, the content should have raised concerns.

The trustees were also criticised for failing to properly oversee and monitor social media activity, after the regulator's inquiry found that the video did not further the charity's aims or benefit the public.

It also said that despite receiving advice in 2014 on preventing extremist abuse, the charity lacked effective social media controls.

The Charity Commission subsequently issued an official warning and, in October 2024, made a legal order requiring improvements, such as the order for trustees to review all website and social media material and strengthen controls, to which they complied fully.

Commenting on the inquiry, Charity Commission head of compliance visits and inspections, Joshua Farbridge, said charities risk serious reputational harm from careless social media use.

“A charity’s reputation can be severely damaged in an instant through reckless use of social media," he said.

“Our inquiry concluded that the conduct of the trustees fell below the standards expected of them. Inadequate controls over social media led to the sharing of harmful content, and there is no excuse for failing to properly review content before it is shared by a charity.

“Our swift intervention, which included an Official Warning and a legal Order requiring specific action to be taken, underscores the Commission’s firm commitment to ensuring charities are not misused in supporting or glorifying terrorism."

The full report is available on the government website.

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