Forces Charity Closed Following Sale Of Nazi-Themed Merchandise

A military charity has been closed by the Charity Commission after an inquiry discovered "wholly offensive and inappropriate" materials and comments.

1st Knight Military Charity was formed to assist members of the military and their dependents or carers.

The Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, opened an inquiry after an undercover report by the BBC exposed anti-Islamic comments made at the charity’s shop by a trustee and volunteer and the sale of anti-Islamic merchandise.

The inquiry also highlighted that the charity was selling "wholly offensive and inappropriate" t-shirts containing Nazi symbolism on its online store.

The report goes on to state that the items were still available for sale online after being told all offensive merchandise had been disposed of.

Concerns were also raised about the general management and governance of 1st Knight Military Charity.

The charity was officially dissolved in March 2018 following an order to wind up and its remaining funds transferred to another charity to help support wounded veterans and their families.

Michelle Russell, Director of Investigations, Monitoring and Enforcement at the Charity Commission said: "The public rightly expect charities to demonstrate the highest standards of integrity and conduct.

"What we saw in this case fell short of that: not only was this charity mismanaged, we also saw evidence of behaviours and attitudes that have no place in charity.

"The organisation has now wound up, and I am pleased that we have ensured its assets are redistributed by another charity."