Laurence Fox loses libel battle with Twitter users he called paedophiles

Laurence Fox, who is known for his acting work and his support of rightwing beliefs, has been unsuccessful in his attempt to sue two individuals he accused of being paedophiles. The legal battle was over a claim made by the actor that the men were racist. However, a judge, Mrs Justice Collins Rice, has determined that Fox's words were defamatory and therefore he has lost the case.

In October 2020, there was a disagreement on Twitter between the founder of the Reclaim party and two other individuals, Simon Blake (who used to be a trustee for Stonewall) and a drag artist named Crystal. This led to the Reclaim party founder being taken to court.

In relation to Sainsbury's decision to offer a secure area for black staff during Black History Month, Fox, aged 45, referred to Blake and Seymour (also known as a former contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race) as paedophiles during their discussion.

After Fox urged people not to shop at the supermarket, Blake, Seymour, and Nicola Thorp, who used to act in Coronation Street, accused him of being a racist.

Fox filed a counter lawsuit alleging that the allegation of racism was destructive to his reputation and could end his career. However, the high court rejected his claims on Monday.

According to Collins Rice, the accusations made by Mr Fox against Mr Blake and Mr Seymour, labeling them as paedophiles, were very damaging, untrue, and lacked any evidence, likelihood or factual basis.

There aren't many options for defending against this type of defamation legally. Mr. Fox didn't make an effort to prove these claims were accurate, and he couldn't find any other lawful defense to support his case based on the evidence presented.

She stated that the matter of compensation and any additional solutions will be addressed at a future time.

The judge didn't come to a decision about whether it was accurate to label Fox as "a racist". This was because the three tweets mentioned in his counterargument were not likely to cause significant damage to his standing.

During the six-day trial in November, Lorna Skinner KC served as the representative for Blake, Seymour, and Thorp. According to Skinner, the trio hold a genuine belief that Mr. Fox is a person who holds prejudiced beliefs and attitudes towards other races. This belief remains true to this day.

Seymour, a Canadian artist, expressed in written testimony for a case that he experienced "overwhelming and distressing" harassment after Fox's tweet. As a drag performer, he also felt less secure. Mental Health First Aid England's current CEO, Blake, noted that the false notion that all gay men are paedophiles has been around for a long time.

The actor Fox declared that he experienced a notable decrease in the amount and caliber of acting opportunities that came his way after being accused of racist behavior on a social media platform.

During questioning, Fox put forward the notion that the statement "I hate black people" may not be considered racist in certain situations. He explained that if a person had recently been released from imprisonment in Uganda where they had been sexually assaulted by a group of men, and then expressed hatred towards black people, it could be seen as a comprehensible reaction.

When asked if it was discriminatory to state "Black individuals residing in the United Kingdom should return to their country of origin," Fox's response was, "It relies on the situation in which it was stated."

Throughout the case, Fox rejected the significance of the Black Lives Matter campaign, branding it as "grift" and a "Ponzi scheme". Additionally, he emphasized that "all lives matter" since we are all viewed equally by God. Moreover, Fox argued that he had experienced racism that was directed towards white individuals.

Skinner asked Fox if he had ever personally experienced racism, and Fox responded that he had. Fox continued to explain that there exists a considerable amount of racism directed towards white individuals who identify as conservative or right-wing. He added that this type of racism is often overlooked or accepted by society as normal.

He also talked about the concept of white privilege in a negative way, referring to it as "repulsive racism." Furthermore, he stated that he perceives the notion of white privilege as a racist affront because it centers around one's skin color rather than their qualities as a human being.

Fox had to explain himself in court as he defended his views about successful black actors who complain about experiencing racism. He argued that he couldn't express his struggles as a missionary's son from Harrow, and similarly, successful black actors should not complain about racism as it is part of their success.

The performer argued that it didn't make sense for black actors to portray white characters. He expressed to the court that casting a black actor to play Anne Boleyn was solely for political motives. According to him, it was an attempt to convey a message to the audience. He added that his stance was based on a philosophical belief that if Anne Boleyn can be portrayed as black, it's only fair for Nelson Mandela to be portrayed as white too.

Fox said in court that he considered footballers who knelt during matches to be weaklings. He then proceeded to shout a New Zealand haka at the top of his lungs to prove his stance. He confidently remarked, "The New Zealanders who attend a rugby game and shout 'Whakaka tu ka pu pu' do so to intimidate their opponents because they are confident of victory."

In my opinion, if you kneel in front of your opponent, it gives the impression that you are scared and likely to lose the match.

Fox stated his thoughts on the verdict outside the courtroom and referred to it as inconsequential. He also mentioned that he is currently thinking about appealing the decision. He made a point to declare that he is not discriminatory towards any particular race.

Seymour expressed his extreme satisfaction with the decision. He noted that if Mr. Fox had genuinely apologized and paid restitution, this matter could have been resolved much earlier. Nonetheless, Mr. Fox opted to litigate, despite claiming to value the liberty of expression. Seymour believes that Mr. Fox should give more attention to the harmful repercussions of his actions instead of getting caught up in his self-victimization.

Thorp stated that Fox's personal opinions have negatively impacted his professional success.

On X platform, she expressed that the man who instructed a black person to ‘go back to Jamaica’, displayed pride flags resembling a swastika and circulated pictures of himself with blackface. It's about time that the said man acknowledged that the harm done to his reputation is solely due to his own actions.