I’ll drag you out by your hair, charity boss told volunteer
Care4calais boss steps down after complaints of intimidation and violence at French camp
A REFUGEE charity boss who had an affair with a migrant threatened to drag a volunteer out “by your f------ hair”, leaked complaints have revealed.
Clare Moseley, founder of refugee charity Care4calais, has stepped down following complaints that she used pepper spray against a refugee in selfdefence and threatened to drag a female volunteer out of a room by her hair.
Care4calais, which is already under investigation by the Charity Commission over regulatory issues, received a complaint in May 2020 from a volunteer claiming that Ms Moseley had threatened her with physical violence while she helped out at a refugee camp.
Ms Moseley told Mailonline that “with regards to the volunteer who was threatened, this followed a period of issues with this volunteer”.
“I acknowledge that the comment, made in the heat of the moment, was entirely inappropriate and I have apologised,” she added.
The charity had investigated separate claims that year from two people about an incident in Brussels where Ms Moseley allegedly used pepper spray while delivering goods to refugees.
She said she had used the spray in self-defence after threatening behaviour from someone else at the distribution site, leaked emails and documents to Third Sector – a news website for the non-profit sector – show.
She added: “With regards to the pepper spray incident, this was in selfdefence as other witnesses have acknowledged, and at the time I was unaware of the different legal position in Belgium as compared to France – on becoming aware of it, I of course ceased to carry it in Belgium.”
Ms Moseley, who is married, had previously had an affair with one asylum seeker, a Tunisian man named Mohamed Bajjar, despite having championed her charity’s no-sex-withmigrants policy.
Following the break-up of their relationship in 2017, Mr Bajjar allegedly tried to set one of the Calais distribution warehouses on fire.
Responding to claims of bullying within the organisation, Ms Moseley said: “I can only say that, in a position of leadership of a young and fast-growing organisation, I have been placed in many positions where I had to make difficult and high-pressured decisions.
“If I made mistakes or upset any of our volunteers, I am sorry for that.
“I have devoted the last seven and a half years to serving the charity as an unpaid volunteer working long hours to do everything in my power to help and advocate for refugees who often have little or no other support.”
A Care4calais spokesman said: “Clare Moseley tendered her resignation with Care4calais’ Board of Trustees on Saturday, May 6. Trustees met on Wednesday, May 10, to discuss the resignation, which was formally accepted.
“We thank Clare, as the charity’s founder, for being the spark that started it all. We wish her every success in her future endeavours.”
Ms Moseley’s resignation was tendered three days before Third Sector first approached the charity about the story.
The Daily Telegraph approached Ms Moseley for comment.