George Soros has given a further £100,000 to the anti-Brexit campaign group Best for Britain, in addition to the £400,000 he was revealed to have donated by The Daily Telegraph this week. He told The Guardian that the gift of the extra money was directly related to the article written about him, which many felt had anti-semitic undertones.
"I am happy to take the fight to those who have tried to use a smear campaign, not arguments, to prop up their failing case," Mr Soros said.told the Guardian. The money will be funnelled through his Open Society Foundation (OSF), which has already disbursed millions of pounds of the billionaire investor's wealth.
Since the story about Mr Soros was published, more than £50,000 has been raised for Best for Britain by a crowdfunding campaign. The Daily Telegraph article had described him as "a rich gambler … accused of meddling in nation's affairs" and had suggested that he was involved in a secret plot to derail the democratic will of the majority of Britons who had voted for Brexit.
Best for Britain’s chief executive Eloise Todd welcomed the additional donation, and stressed that Mr Soros’s aims were in no way undemocratic.
"We live in a democracy, and the right to freedom of speech is precious. Elements of the rightwing press don't seem to agree," Todd told The Guardian. "The UK's future with the EU is not a done deal, there is still a vote to come and people across the country deserve to know the truth about the options on the table, one of which is staying and leading in the EU.
“George Soros and his foundation is kindly offering to help match-fund to give Best for Britain more support so we can make sure this message gets out, the biggest decision on Brexit is yet to come.”
Mr Soros also wrote an article for the Mail on Sunday where he criticised the "toxic attacks" on him and his foundation.
“I believe passionately in [open society], and this is why I eventually decided to establish the Open Society Foundations and devote my wealth to spreading the benefits of open democracy and helping those that suffer repression.
“Open society is characterised by calm, rational discussion, free from the toxic, personal criticism we have seen in recent days. I am a proud supporter of Best For Britain, a group that wants Britain to remain a member of the European Union. I consider Brexit a tragic mistake.”
