Satirical AI Video Creator Unmasked as Convicted Hate Crime Offender
Channel 4 News has identified Joshua Bonehill-Paine as the individual behind the anonymous social media account known as Crewkerne Gazette. This satirical X account gained attention for creating artificial intelligence-generated videos featuring prominent politicians like Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner, and Andy Burnham. In these videos, the politicians appear to sing popular songs by artists such as Amy Winehouse, Barry Manilow, and Elton John, with lyrics altered to reflect political themes.
Criminal History of Hate Crimes and Racial Harassment
Bonehill-Paine, a 33-year-old who has previously described himself as a "nationalist, fascist, theorist and supporter of white rights", has a documented history of discriminatory behavior and hate crimes. In early 2015, he attempted to organize a mass protest in Stamford Hill, north London, aimed at rallying "against the complete Jewification of the borough." Later that year, he tried to organize another protest in Golders Green, an area with a significant Jewish population, promoting it with a cartoon image of Hitler and writing that the event would be "an absolute gas." For inciting hatred against Jews, he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
In 2016, Bonehill-Paine was found guilty of racially aggravated harassment directed at then Labour MP Luciana Berger, who is Jewish. His actions included posting messages on his blog calling Berger "a rodent", "evil money-grabber", and "a dominatrix", as well as uploading an image of a rat with Berger's face superimposed over it. He received an additional two-year jail sentence for this offense, which was added to his existing term.
Public Apologies and Counter-Extremism Work
Bonehill-Paine has publicly expressed regret for his past actions. In a YouTube video posted on Tuesday, he stated, "I felt very angry at how I had treated the Jewish community in this country. I wanted to do something to rectify it, so I began working in counter-extremism education." He added that he has traveled across the country to colleges, schools, and universities, collaborating with the probation service and police to prevent others from following in his footsteps.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Bonehill-Paine emphasized his commitment to continuing his counter-extremism work, saying, "What I am going to do is to continue doing what I've done for the last five years, six years, which is counter-extremism work, working to prevent people following in my footsteps, hopefully stopping people from making the same mistakes that I've done." He also told the Guardian that he no longer holds antisemitic views, providing proof that he passed the government's Prevent awareness course and has been involved in counter-extremism education. He now describes himself online as holding "a deep affection for Israel."
Political Reception and Media Coverage
The Crewkerne Gazette's AI videos have received significant attention from both media outlets and politicians. Publications such as the Sun featured a video showing Angela Rayner rapping to a grime beat during her tax scandal, while The Times referred to Bonehill-Paine as the "Banksy of politics." GB News interviewed him on-air three days before his identity and past were uncovered, where he used the online alias Crewkerne Man.
Politicians including Jacob Rees-Mogg have shared videos from the account on X, and Adam Dance, the MP for Yeovil where Crewkerne is based, commented on BBC Sunday Politics West that Bonehill-Paine's work was a positive example of engaging audiences with politics. However, after learning of Bonehill-Paine's identity, Dance clarified, "I was not aware of who was behind the Crewkerne Gazette account at the time of my comments, which were about the transparent use of AI in politics, not about endorsing any individual. I absolutely condemn antisemitism and harassment in all its forms, and I do not support the person now revealed to be behind that account."
Background of Fake Stories and Current Stance
Bonehill-Paine's history includes perpetuating fake stories, such as a pub in Leicestershire allegedly refusing to admit members of the armed forces to avoid offending immigrants, and a false claim about a six-year-old being abducted by an Asian grooming gang in Croydon. Regarding his past harassment of Luciana Berger, Bonehill-Paine said on Wednesday that he is "extremely sorry for the pain and distress" he caused and hopes she can forgive him, but he has not reached out directly as he does not want to "alarm or distress her, even after a decade has passed."
