CAA launches private prosecution against leader of Al Quds Day march who we allege blamed “Zionists” for Grenfell, after CPS fails British Jews once again

Campaign Against Antisemitism has today laid an information before magistrates to initiate a private prosecution against Nazim Ali, the leader of the “Al Quds Day” march through central London, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) declined to prosecute him.

Our information alleges: “On the 18th day of June 2017, between Duchess Street and Grosvenor Square in London, Nazim Hussain Ali used threatening or abusive words or behaviour, within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby.”

We allege that during the march, Mr Ali used a portable public address system to make various statements, including:

• “Some of the biggest corporations who are supporting the Conservative Party are Zionists. They are responsible for the murder of the people in Grenfell, in those towers in Grenfell. The Zionist supporters of the Tory Party. Free, Free, Palestine…It is the Zionists who give money to the Tory Party to kill people in high-rise blocks. Free, Free, Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
• “Careful of those Rabbis who belong to the Board of Deputies, who have got blood on their hands, who agree with the killing of British soldiers. Do not allow them in your centres.”

In addition to this private prosecution, we have made a complaint about Mr Ali, who is the managing partner of a pharmacy, to the General Pharmaceutical Council and we have submitted a complaint about the charity that organised the march, the self-proclaimed Islamic Human Rights Commission, to the Charity Commission.

Last year was the worst year for antisemitic crime on record. Crime targeting Jews has surged by rising by 45% since 2014, however of the 14,480 hate crimes prosecuted by the CPS last year, only 20 are known to be cases of antisemitic hate crime.

Campaign Against Antisemitism is represented by Jonathan Goldberg QC, Jeffrey Israel and Senghin Kong (leading and junior counsel) and solicitor David Sonn.

Gideon Falter, Chairman of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We have called for zero tolerance enforcement of the law against antisemitism and that is what politicians have promised. After reporting Mr Ali to the police, we waited to see whether the Crown Prosecution Service would prosecute him, but they declined to do so. Campaign Against Antisemitism has been left with no choice but to expend its resources bringing a private prosecution. We do not know of any other minority which is being repeatedly abandoned by the Crown Prosecution Service and left alone to defend itself.”