He added: “The behaviour of this charity is an intolerable affront to the Jewish community and to the longstanding principles of prudence required of charities by law.”
Joshua Farbridge, the Charity Commission’s Head of Compliance, responded to Ellis’ letter on Thursday and said that the Charity Commission has already received letters of concern from members of the public regarding the Rio Cinema’s boycott of Eurovision.
Given that “the facts do appear concerning,” Farbridge confirmed that the Charity Commission has opened a “regulatory compliance case into the charity” and contacted its trustees to for further information.
He added: “If we find that there has been wrongdoing, we will take action to address this.”
The investigation comes nearly two weeks after the Rio Cinema announced that it had "collectively decided not to screen the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest this year while Israel remains in the competition.”
The cinema’s statement, shared across its social media platforms on 16 March, added: “We firmly believe that the Eurovision Song Contest has the power to bring people together across the world, and when its core values of inclusivity, equality and universality are upheld, it can be a genuine force for good. With its own slogan in mind, we hope that we can all be United By Music again soon.”
The Rio cinema has been approached for comment.
