UK Parliament: Memorandum Submitted by Brooke M. Goldstein, Director, The Legal Project at the Middle East Forum
Memorandum Submitted by Brooke M. Goldstein, Director, The Legal Project at the Middle East Forum
I. Executive Summary
1. Today, libel lawfare is being waged in the form of frivolous and malicious lawsuits designed to intimidate, silence and bankrupt anyone who speaks publicly about radical Islam, terrorism, or its sources of financing.
2. The United Kingdom’s particular libel and jurisdictional statutes have made the UK the favored forum for these suits, which are creating a chilling effect on the exercise of free speech about matters of grave public concern not only within the UK, but throughout Europe and North America.
3. The continued use of British courts to silence American authors has prompted the New York State Senate to pass the Libel Terrorism Protection Act, and the Federal Government to consider for passage as law the Free Speech Protection Act, both which specifically nullifies foreign libel judgments against Americans sued in UK and other foreign courts. The effect of this law is to render impotent any British libel judgment against a US citizen should a US court render British law to provide inadequate protections for free speech as defined under the First Amendment of the United States’ Constitution.
4. The continuing abuse of UK law seems to be reducing the nation’s standing and otherwise impugning the UK’s venerable reputation as a defender of freedom of speech and the due course of justice.