closeicon
News

Campaign Against Antisemitism wins permission to challenge refusal to prosecute Al-Quds Day march host

Nazim Ali was to face charges of of inciting religious hatred before the CPS intervened

articlemain

The Campaign Against Antisemitism has won the right to mount a legal challenge against the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision to block the prosecution of the host of last year's Al-Quds Day march who linked Zionists to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

The CAA had launched a private prosecution against Nazim Ali, for inciting racial or religious hatred, over comments he made during the Al-Quds rally in London in 2017.

Mr Ali, a director of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, told the crowd: “It is the Zionists who give money to the Tory Party to kill people in high-rise blocks”.

He also told protesters to “ be careful of those rabbis who belong to the Board of Deputies, who have got blood on their hands”.

When the CPS decided against prosecuting Mr Ali itself, the CAA brought a private prosecution.

But, shortly before this was due to come to court in July this year, the CPS intervened and blocked it, arguing there was insufficient evidence for a conviction.

The CAA announced it would challenge this and on Monday it said it had won the right to contest the CPS decision at a judicial review.

In a statement, the CAA said the Honourable Ms Justice Lang had granted the application for a review as it raised “important issues”.

CAA chairman Gideon Falter said: “This is a case that the CPS should have prosecuted itself.

"Our emphatic legal advice is that their decision to prevent us from doing so was irrational, and we are encouraged that the court has agreed that our case should proceed to the second stage of this two-stage judicial review process.

"We hope to succeed and resume our private prosecution of Nazim Ali.”

Share via

Want more from the JC?

To continue reading, we just need a few details...

Want more from
the JC?

To continue reading, we just
need a few details...

Get the best news and views from across the Jewish world Get subscriber-only offers from our partners Subscribe to get access to our e-paper and archive