Lawyer who called for bombing of Jews on a plane ordered to pay £35,000
Majid Mahmood has fines imposed by Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for his ‘incontrovertibly anti-Semitic’ remarks
A solicitor who lamented that a plane carrying Jewish refugees didn’t blow up mid-air has been fined £25,000 and ordered to pay almost £10,000 costs.
Majid Mahmood, a partner at City Law Chambers in Luton and a director at Liberty Law Solicitors, had the sanction imposed by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for comments he made on social media in 2015 and 2016.
Mahmood, 40, said his statement referred to airborne IDF soldiers blowing up mid-air, but the panel ruled that this was an “implausible” argument, and accepted that the comments had been made in response to an article about Jewish refugees being airlifting out of a troubled country to Israel.
His comments first attracted attention in 2015, when he wrote: “Someone needs to shoot all the Israeli Zionists dead then send their bodies to America as a present for Obama and his Zionist pals.”
Then, in early 2016, in response to the article, he wrote: “The [sic] ain’t gods [sic] chosen people they’re Satans [sic] love child’s [sic] and it’s a shame e [sic] the plane carrying them didn’t blow up mid air.” In response to another Facebook user, Mahmood then referred to Israel as “a nation fuelled by greed”.
Picture credit: Campaign Against Antisemitism
After being challenged by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), Mahmood’s solicitor said he “unequivocally accepts the posts… were wholly inappropriate” and that he “regrets doing so,” but denied that they were anti-Semitic.
Appearing as a witness, CAA chair Gideon Falter said Mahmood’s comments were “pretty extreme” and “incontrovertibly anti-Semitic,” but Mahmood said his comments were aimed at “Israeli Zionists” and not at Jews.
The tribunal said Mahmood had “stepped over the line” by advocating violence and that he had acted “without integrity”. It gave Mahmood “the benefit of the doubt” in finding that his reference to “Israeli Zionists” was not anti-Semitic, after Mahmood said he was reacting to a video of innocent Palestinian children being blown up.
However it found that the reference to “God’s chosen people” was “a trigger phrase for the Jewish people” and that Mahmood reference to Jews as “Satan’s love child” was “religiously offensive”.
In addition to the fine, Mahmood was suspended from practicing as a solicitor by the panel, “weighing the interests of the profession in terms of the maintenance of confidence in its reputation,” but the suspension was itself suspended.
A CAA spokesman said: “Whilst we do not agree with the decision to allow Mr Mahmood, who has repeatedly made vile statements calling for death and destruction, to remain in practice, we nonetheless welcome this decision.”
He added: “We commend the Solicitors Regulation Authority for doing the right thing in bringing this action, and we applaud the Tribunal for sending this strong message that antisemitism within the legal profession will be severely punished.”
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.
