By James Mendelsohn
Harry’s Place and I go back a long way. I’m probably best known for writing about the Stephen Sizer antisemitism scandal as far back as 2012. Slightly more recently, I wrote about Al Quds Day and about Hezbollah.
I’m now asking Harry’s Place readers for just a little bit of help. In April 2021, a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn called James Wilson sued me (and another Jewish person called Eddy Cantor) for libel. His claim is based on nine tweets, eight of which were deleted within 24 hours. He was previously suing an academic called Pete Newbon as part of the same action. Pete Newbon – as many will know – died in tragic circumstances early last year.
James Wilson has form for threatening to sue campaigners against antisemitism and writing to their employers or professional regulators. He is also known to have somehow traced the address of a pseudonymous Twitter user who displeased him – an address which had not been made public – and then turned up on their doorstep.
Our solicitor, Mark Lewis, has successfully fought such cases before. He has generously acted for us without charge for two years, alongside favours from other lawyers. They should not, however, have to fight such battles alone. They – and we – need your help. It is unlikely that Wilson will have any money to pay our costs, once the case is over. We have therefore decided to crowdfund.
We realise these are tough times for many, but it is crucial that James Wilson’s claim is defeated. If not, he and others will be emboldened to target other campaigners against antisemitism with legal action. We would be hugely grateful for all donations, whether large or small, at https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/wilsonvcantor/. We’d also be massively grateful if you could share the link widely on your social media networks.
Thanks so much.
Note from Mirax: James is very much a friend of the blog and has done much to shine a light on the nastier antisemitic elements in British politics. There are only 15 days left in the appeal, so please get cracking.
