Ex-Labour councillor forced to crowdfund libel claim by notorious activist
Josh Jones, an ex-Labour councillor, successfully defended a libel claim brought by notorious activist Tony Greenstein - but was forced to pay the costs himself.
An ex-Labour councillor has been forced to crowdfund the cost of defending himself against a failed libel lawsuit by the anti-Zionist activist, Tony Greenstein.
Josh Jones, a former shadow deputy leader at Dartford Council, was taken to court by Greenstein who claimed Jones had labelled him a “Holocaust denier” during a 2018 meeting where the councillor was advocating stronger measures against antisemitism in Labour.
A High Court judge struck the case out, saying it had no reasonable chance of success. But Jones says Greenstein never stumped up the eye-watering £20,000 bill, despite a court order to do so, because he claims he can’t afford it – leaving Jones to pay.
“I got a High Court claim from Greenstein, saying he had put in a claim. I had to defend myself, I had to get a lawyer in,” said Jones.
“I had a decent amount of savings, but my life savings just dwindled. It got to the point where the money was still coming out.
“I had to take it out my paycheck every month, only paying my rent and bills, living month-to-month. I made the conscious decision to deal with it as quietly as I could.
“But by the end of the court case, I maxed everything out.”
The former councillor had managed to pay off £10,000 of the costs, before being issued with a final invoice by his lawyers.
Persuaded by friends, he took to a crowdfunding website to cover the cost – and now has managed raise the full £20,000 in just three days.
“I genuinely thought I would get at most £2,000 or £3,000. I was expecting to be paying this over the years,” he said.
“The response has just been really humbling, I’ve had all kinds of people messaging, the Jewish community completely rallying around.
“Some of the messages have been really beautiful, really nice.”
It comes after Campaign Against Antisemitism issued a bankruptcy petition in the High Court against Greenstein.
The campaign group previously successfully won a libel case against Greenstein, after calling him a “notorious antisemite”. The court ruled CAA were entitled to hold that opinion.
Greenstein was ordered to pay £68,000 in costs for that failed libel suit.
Writing on his own crowdfunding page, Greenstein said: “I will though have to take legal advice now in respect of the application that the Campaign Against Anti-semitism’s lawyers have just made to the High Court to bankrupt me.”
The bankruptcy petition proceeding is set for a hearing on July 14.
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.
