After my libel case against The Spectator and Douglas Murray, Murray's lawyers, with his solicitor Mark Lewis, asked the court, alongside The Spectator, to refer me for contempt. Contempt proceedings can end in prison.
Who are they?
Douglas Murray is one of Israel's most prominent defenders in the West. He sat down with Benjamin Netanyahu for a one-on-one interview, and in 2024 Israel's President presented him with an award for his advocacy for Israel.
Mark Lewis is a former director of UK Lawyers for Israel, a group that says it uses the law "to combat attempts to undermine, attack or delegitimise Israel".
The judge refused. This is a judge who decided, on the balance of probabilities, the civil standard, that I had lied on significant issues in the case. Contempt would have to be proved to the criminal standard, beyond reasonable doubt. He also jailed Tommy Robinson for contempt for 18 months, and his sentencing of the Filton 4 was called "draconian" by commentators. Even he said contempt proceedings would have "no coercive utility". Their "only purpose now would be punitive and/or as a deterrent."
What would they have gained? By the judge's own account, nothing but punishment.
The next month, someone reported me to the police. Since then I have been stopped and examined by counter-terrorism police under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act. And recently I have been the subject of another criminal investigation, in which most of the questioning was about my words and actions in activism on Israel.
Three times in 15 months: a contempt request, a counter-terrorism stop, and a criminal investigation.
Who reported me to the police? Is there a link? Is it politically motivated?
@reformparty_uk I'm sure he was actually thinking about the Nazi dead and commemorating them in his head since he would have supported them back in the day.