Al Quds speaker who blamed Grenfell on ‘Zionists’ won’t face prosecution by CPS
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Al Quds speaker who blamed Grenfell on ‘Zionists’ won’t face prosecution by CPS

Islamic Human Rights Commission's Nazim Ali will not face action by the Crown Prosecution Service for his comments

Nazim Ali (left) with an anti-Zionist rabbi from Neturei Karta
Nazim Ali (left) with an anti-Zionist rabbi from Neturei Karta

An anti-Israel campaigner who claimed victims of the Grenfell Tower fire were “murdered by supporters of Zionist ideologies” will not face prosecution for hate speech.

Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) speaker Nazim Ali will not face action by the Crown Prosecution Service, after he was reported to the police for comments made at the June demonstration.

Ali appeared to blame the Grenfell Tower tragedy in which 71 were killed, on Israel supporters, telling the 1,000 crowd at Grosvenor Square: “Many innocents were murdered by Theresa May’s cronies – many of which are supporters of Zionist ideologies.”

“Some of the biggest corporations who are supporting the Conservative Party are Zionists. They are responsible for the murder in Grenfell. The Zionist supporters of the Tory Party.”

A CPS spokesperson said they “received a file of evidence from the Metropolitan Police in relation to the actions of an individual at a demonstration on 18 June 2017.

“We considered whether offences of inciting racial or religious hatred or a public order offence had been committed, in line with the tests set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

“We concluded that the evidential test in the Code was not met and therefore no charges have been authorised.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism has now started a private prosecution against Nazim Ali, accusing him of  using “threatening or abusive words or behaviour, within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby.”

They claim he blamed the Grenfell tragedy on Zionists, and also that he warned marchers to be  “careful of those Rabbis who belong to the Board of Deputies, who have got blood on their hands, who agree with the killing of British soldiers. Do not allow them in your centres.”

CAA add, that they have also made a complaint about the IHRC leader, who is a pharmacist, to the General Pharmaceutical Council, and about the charity, to the Charity Commission.

Gideon Falter, Chairman of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We have called for zero tolerance enforcement of the law against antisemitism and that is what politicians have promised. After reporting Mr Ali to the police, we waited to see whether the Crown Prosecution Service would prosecute him, but they declined to do so. Campaign Against Antisemitism has been left with no choice but to expend its resources bringing a private prosecution. We do not know of any other minority which is being repeatedly abandoned by the Crown Prosecution Service and left alone to defend itself.”

The Community Security Trust also criticised the CPS for not prosecuting Ali, adding that they will taking up their ‘Victim’s Right of Review’, as they reported the incidents to the police.

Speaking to Jewish News, the CST said they have “reported Ali’s appalling comments to the Police, provided transcripts and footage as evidence and we were willing to appear as a witness in court. We will be applying for a formal review of this deeply disappointing decision. It is difficult to understand how Ali’s comments fail to meet the threshold for prosecution.”

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: