I leave Edinburgh this afternoon for London, to stand trial at the High Court for libel. To answer a question frequently asked, the reason I have accepted English jurisdiction is that the event was a Sky News broadcast, an English broadcaster. If it had been over my blog I would not have accepted jurisdiction as I do not accept the English claim to universal jurisdiction over internet content.
I do hope that this trial will help bring into further disrepute the immoral and draconian English libel laws. If I lose, the total costs and damages I would have to pay will potentially amount to some £350,000 – a ridiculously disproportionate result for the alleged civil offence. It would ruin me and blight the lives of my young family. Whether this can possibly be an appropriate reaction to something I said in response in a live debate, you might judge for yourselves by reading the court documents .
Thanks to the astonishing generosity of the readers of this blog, at least I am in a position to defend myself robustly. Over 5,000 readers of this blog have, with incredible generosity, contributed a total of £100,323 towards my defence to date. The libel laws are so oppressive because the sums of money involved are so astonishing. The entire massive English libel industry – courts, judges, barristers, solicitors – is taken together a major financial interest in itself, well represented in parliament. It is in all their collective financial interest that this system of oppression rolls on, which of course requires a good chance of people being found guilty to encourage more plaintiffs into the industry. I often feel this analysis from unconscious institutional self-interest is often neglected in favour of the equally valid and important argument that the libel laws are an essential tool of the wealthy and powerful to discourage free speech by the poor. Robert Maxwell, Alisher Usmanov and Jimmy Savile are three examples of people who kept their true nature hidden by constantly and aggressively threatening people with the disastrous consequences of an English libel suit.
Finally the trial starts on Tuesday 7 November at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, High Court Queen’s Bench. It will last probably two and up to three days. It is open to the public. I would very much welcome anyone with the capacity to report any of what happens on social media. I am not aware of any restrictions on this, but will try to publish them here if I learn of any.
This is probably my last blogpost until after the trial, as I must concentrate now. By the time I come back online the Tories will have appointed their next Disgraced Former Defence Secretary in Waiting.
I wish you and justice a positive outcome.
Best wishes from me, too. Legal proceedings are disagreeable and stressful.
Think you meant, the trial starts on Tuesday 7 November, not October. Not trying to be pedantic. People might feel they are reading old information and therefore not contribute to your fund where they otherwise might.
Thanks Brian – changed.
Craig,
Can we have some practical details: time of day when trial starts, time to allow to get through security,etc?
The commute from where I live is long, unpleasant, and very expensive, but possible. I hope to attend at least the first day.
I hope this trial will backfire spectacularly upon its instigators. This particular incident, of course, should never have become the subject of litigation in the first place.
Best wishes!
The High Court (Royal! Courts of Justice) has airport type security which doesn’t take that long. There is a notice board which lists where cases are being heard. Just hope it’s not the one where an appeal to the Attorney General’s refusal for an inquest for Dr Kelly was heard. There was no room for the public apart from an upstairs gallery from which we could see nothing and hear little. We did have a good view of the Gothic ceiling and light fittings though. We had to access this gallery via a winding stone staircase.
The whole lot needs demolishing (like Westminster) and a modern fit for purpose replacement built. I believe the court where Leveson held his ‘inquiry’ was in a new building.
All the best Craig. Very sorry you are having to go through this. It almost coincides with Netanyahu’s visit and Treeza’s Balfour celebrations.
Will fund some more in the unlikely event that JWS succeeds in his evil quest.
Gavin Williamson MP South Staffs is the new Defence Minister. Previously Agent Cameron’s bag carrier.
Nothing much on his TWFY
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=24729
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_Williamson
Murdoch (or rather his scribe Rebecca) puts the knife in by quoting Williamson’s opponents.
‘The appointment of a man nicknamed “the baby-faced assassin” has caused an immediate backlash, with one minister saying: “She is so weak she has let Williamson appoint himself – this is appalling.”‘
And Tory MP Sarah Wollaston tweeted: “There are times when offered a job that it would be better to advise that another would be more experienced and suited to the role.”
Others have been quick to pile in, reportedly calling him a “real slimeball”, while one journalist said a senior Tory MP said “knifed Fallon and pinched his job”, adding: “It’s way above his ability.”‘
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4824029/gavin-williamson-appointed-shock-new-defence-secretary-as-theresa-may-shuffles-her-cabinet-after-michael-fallon-resigns/
May cannot continue for much longer. Election now.
Sharp Ears,
I often agree with you, but not here “The whole lot needs demolishing”. I hate “most modern fit for purpose” square concrete souless monstrosities. The Royal Courts of Justice look magnificent. If I turn up, I may even wear a suit and tie (it does happen very occsionally). From what I can gather mobile phones, are allowed in, but must be switched off.
– from Trip advisor
“The Royal Courts of Justice
This is a stunning gothic building where civil and criminal appeals take place. Bags and mobile phones are allowed in the building unlike the Old Bailey, but you must have phones switched off in court and obviously no photos in there. Some of the court rooms are really beautiful and contain old books of appeals dating back to the 1700s. There are guided tours but they don’t happen very often so you can take a self-guided tour which is easy to do.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Courts_of_Justice
Good Luck, Craig.
Tony
Sorry Tony. I repeat – it is a dump. I do not give a fig for the fine Gothic architecture. The building is not fit for purpose. There is not even a decent signage system so that one has to stumble around in corridors within inner corridors to find the correct f’ing court.
There is a miserable cafe too.
It is designed purely to intimidate the common man and to provide the means to extract fat extortionate fees from the people for the benefit of the so called legal ‘profession’, ie parasites.
I agree with Tony. The RCJ is a great building although of course designed to put the fear of God into one. However redesign of courts into electronic courts where the whole process for ordinary people and their everyday problems is underway. We will probably have purely electronic courts without lawyers for claims up to £25,000 and then perhaps for some more predictable algorithmic justice without a human judge. That sounds sterile, but if it were v cheap and had a right of appeal to a judge, but with financial consequences if the algorthmic decision were upheld would that be so bad? I don’t know. Scary new blade runner sort of world..
To partly answer my own question, this appears to be the link to check for details of upcoming cases:
https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/court-lists/list-queens-bench
Will need to check on Monday …
I’m sure the justice of your cause will give you strength
I hope that your brief is good, that you resist the temptation to lash out at hostile questioning, and that you trounce the opposition. Best of luck. I don’t always agree with you – you noticed? – but on this issue we are in complete sympathy.
Slay them !
Wish you had said who is making your defense, as it might well determine the verdict.
Will provide a substantial donation, once I have gained control of what money I have from Uncle Sam., I am having now to live on #1700 per month.
All the best.
Craig has previously said he will be representing himself. Keeps the costs down. If he had instructed a QC you would probably have to triple or quadruple the funds required. Look at how much we had to raise to support the Orkney 4 when they took The Liar to task.
Craig, I so sympathise. Australia has inherited UK’s dreadful defamation laws which mean one can be successfully sued by someone who claims to be damaged , even for repeating true public statements . I had to hand over $35000 and my then publisher the same amount to a man who claimed to have been defamed by something I reported in my first, SIEV X , book, that had been widely said in the mainstream press. It was a sheer exercise in intimidation, by defamation
law system professionals . We were advised to settle before it came to court. I had been awarded the international title Whistleblower of the Year for my book on SIEV X but it did not protect me from this calculated raid.
It would be such a loss to liberal critical thinking of the kind you examplify if you had to shut down your Blog . I can’t afford at this stage in my life to give your defence fund money, but you have my moral support. I hope this letter will help encourage more contributions to your cause. You need to win this case. Keep your cool.
Tony Kevin,
This is the first time, I had ever heard of you or your book SIEV X. I’ve just read the first chapter of your book, as the first chapter and part of the second chapter are available online.
You are quite a hero yourself. I congratulate you. I wish there were more people like you and Craig Murray, fighting to bring out the truth.
Tony
Cheque on it’s way. Best wishes.
Keep strong and safe x
An innocence verdict would make a nice birthday present, as I will be 88 on November 9th.
It’s considered very lucky to become 88 in China. 8 is their lucky number, so the more of them you get in your age, the better. 88 years, 8 months and 8 days is doubtless even more lucky.
Considering the recent focus on wandering hands & eyes I think I know what is going to get dragged up if there is a trial by media.
Which could well lead to a mistrial.
I will send a contribution today, Craig, and wish you the very best.
It is a great shame that a newspaper editor suing someone is not considered newsworthy by the other papers. I do hope that social media can make up for that omission. I wonder what Wallis Simons thinks his actions say about his attitude to free speech?
Good luck from your Aussie readers. In Aussie parlance…Tell ’em they’re dreamin’.
I’ll send a small contribution. If I can I will come to the trial on one day. Don’t worry – we are not going to let your family be thrown onto the street, whatever the outcome. Go out and use analytical and oratorical skills to give them hell!
I also don’t agree with everything you write or say but that’s what I like about his blog. It makes me think about things and challenges opinions which is something a lot more people should do. Taking words out of context and trying to call you racist and anti-Semitic (especially on live TV) is also defamatory and libellous. Could it be that your voice is too strong for those in power?
we wish you well Craig
Good luck with your trial Craig. It will surely to be difficult to justify any damages let alone such huge ones for such an innocuous and low profile public comment.
There have been a few interesting political developments this afternoon. Twitter has admitted it manipulated search results to omit anti Hillary tweets. It is pretty clear that their primary business model is propaganda and that this will be paid for by states, as an example the twitter search function would have you believe that only a couple of dozen tweets mentioned Adam Werrity on Tuesday evening which is ludicrous.
Donna Brazile has revealed that the Clinton campaign were in full operational and financial control of the DNC from August 2015 onwards which is absolutely staggering and is going to be impossible to spin away.
And here in the UK interest rates have increased as a claimed attempt by Comical Carney to prevent the tepid UK economy from “overheating”. Carney also expects wages to rise at least in line with inflation over the next few years despite productivity projections being cut. No one appears to have asked him why wages will go up beyond magical thinking. The media of course focuses on knee touching and flirtation and not on the fact that the UK economic model is on it’s last legs.
All the best Craig.
Good luck, Shane….
The best of luck to you from Steph and myself, what an arduous pressure you must be under.
I urge those who live in London or nearby to show up at the trial. You will be searched and must have ID on you, afaik, but please do show up and give Craig some support.
Keep your cool and give em’ hell
Craig,
Should the door to your trial room be closed, be advised not to force your way past the guard. Inside will merely be another door to another trial room with an even fiercer guard.
Better to come armed with a circular saw to make your own entrance (you have carved your own path bravely so far)
My best wishes and (allegorical) thoughts are with you and your family,
Scott
Good Luck Craig.. You have I think, All of you’re Thousands of readers right behind you on this.. Don’t let their Nasty games get under your skin.
Stay Strong
Brian
I’ll get paid soon and will make a contribution then.
Doubtless if things don’t go well, there will be more contributions. Never fear.
Good luck!
VERITAS.
All the best, Craig.
This blog and your books inspire others in search of truth. Best of luck.
Good luck Craig.
I hope it isn’t like the Spanish judicial system.
The cabinet ministers have been held in custody, the charges including one of sedition – worthy of the 17th century or even the court of the Red Queen in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41850094
I see a further link in that story is ‘The man who wants to break up Spain’. Not that the BBC is biased at all of course – there’s me thinking Puigdemont wanted to create an independent Catalonia.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41508660
First they ban democracy and use brutality to suppress voting, now they want to jail politicians for thirty years. What a shower. I heard a BBC reporter (James Reynolds – Radio 4) describing the process in Madrid as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Good luck Craig. I have contributed and will do so again. I run a small corporate Investigations business. If your legal team need anything, backgrounding, research, witness location or any kind of litigation support, on the house, you have my email.
Hoping you & you family are able to stay strong. Will be with you in thought at all times.