The notorious antisemite Alison Chabloz has today lost her appeal after being found guilty of a communications offence following action by Campaign Against Antisemitism last year.
The two-day appeal hearing at Southwark Crown Court followed last April’s two-day trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court which concerned a video of the scene in the classic Oliver Twist film when Fagin, a fictitious Jewish criminal (a character that has come under significant criticism over the past century for its antisemitic depiction), is explaining to his newest recruit how his legion of children followers pickpockets. Ms Chabloz uploaded the video and sings an accompanying song of her own about how Jews are greedy, “grift” for “shekels” and cheat on their taxes.
The video appeared to be either a bizarre fundraising effort for her mounting legal costs due to numerous charges she has faced, including several ongoing prosecutions in which Campaign Against Antisemitism has provided evidence, or an attempt at mockery of Campaign Against Antisemitism for pursuing her in the courts.
When sentencing Ms Chabloz to the sentence that she has now failed in her appeal against, Judge Nina Tempia said that the defendant “was making up evidence” as she went along, and she did not accept Ms Chabloz’s claim that her song was about the controversial activist Tommy Robinson, describing that suggestion as “ludicrous”. Instead, Judge Tempia said, “I have no doubt” that the song related to Jews. She further noted that, given Ms Chabloz’s previous convictions, she “knew exactly what she was doing” and that she had a propensity to commit these types of offences.
Judge Tempia sentenced Ms Chabloz to 22 weeks’ custody because the matter was, “so serious”. Ms Chabloz would serve half of the sentence in prison and would then be under post-sentence supervision. She was ordered to pay £1,058 in costs by 30th September 2022.
During her appeal this week, Ms Chabloz tried to suggest that the video was part of a personal quarrel, as she had suggested throughout her trial.
Speaking directly to Ms Chabloz, Adam Payter, prosecuting, said: “You have a propensity to post grossly offensive antisemitic material. It’s what you do, isn’t it, Ms Chabloz?”
She was questioned about her performing of the racist ‘quenelle’ gesture, which appears as a still photograph at the end of her music video. The ‘quenelle’ is an inverted Nazi salute, a gesture involving one outstretched hand pointing to the ground with the other touching the same arm. It is widely accepted as being aimed at Jewish people. The gesture was made popular by the convicted French antisemitic performer Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala, whom Ms Chabloz expressed support for in court. Mr M’Bala M’Bala has previously been imprisoned over videos of an “antisemitic nature” and has also been convicted for hate speech and advocating terrorism, among other offences, in France and Belgium.
Ms Chabloz stated that while she herself not did place the image in the video, it was the work of her video producer that was added in with her permission.
Ms Chabloz initially attempted to explain away the gesture as not being antisemitic but being “anti-establishment”. Bizarrely, to the disbelief of the prosecution, she then embarked on a baffling tangent about how the word ‘quenelle’ in fact relates to dumplings, leading Mr Payter to ask whether when she made the gesture she was in fact making “a culinary reference”, to which Ms Chabloz responded: “In part, yes”.
Upon further questioning from the prosecution, Ms Chabloz eventually accepted that she could understand how the ‘quenelle’ gesture could be seen as antisemitic, but then stated that she performed it regardless because “what else have I got left to lose?”
The prosecution would go on to state that “this entire song…was designed to be grossly offensive to Jews,” prompting Ms Chabloz to embark on a myriad of tangents, leading His Honour Judge Tony Baumgartner to request that she simply answers the questions, before reprimanding her: “This is not an opportunity for you to make a speech.”
When asked by Adrian Davies, defending, whether she was a part of the “extremist right,” or had ever been a member of a political party, Ms Chabloz stated: “I’ve been a member of the Labour Party, just to support Jeremy Corbyn.”
In closing, Judge Baumgartner said that he found Ms Chabloz “guilty as charged,” noting that he deemed her to be “an unconvincing witness” with a “propensity to send antisemitic messages”.
Remarking on the usage of the ‘quenelle’ gesture, he said that “In and of itself, we find the appellant’s approval of the quenelle to be grossly offensive,” and would go on to characterise her equating of the gesture to dumplings to be “quite frankly ridiculous.”
Referencing Ms Chabloz’s previous convictions, Judge Baumgartner stated: “We are sure the appellant is well aware to what crosses the line.”
“We find as a fact that the appellant intended the video to be grossly offensive to Jewish people,” he said, adding: “We reject any suggestion that this was merely satire or parody.”
Judge Baumgartner informed Ms Chabloz that she must now pay a costs order of £2,361.
Ms Chabloz is a virulent antisemite and Holocaust denier who has an extensive record of using social media to publicise her hatred for Jews and to convert others to her views about Jewish people. Following a private prosecution by Campaign Against Antisemitism, which was later continued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Ms Chabloz became the first person in Britain to be convicted over Holocaust denial in a precedent-setting case.
Ms Chabloz is fixated on the idea that the Holocaust did not occur, and that it was fabricated by Jews and their supporters as a vehicle for fraudulently extorting money in the form of reparations. This forms the basis for her second obsession: that Jews are liars and thieves who are working to undermine Western society. Ms Chabloz is also connected to far-right movements, at whose meetings she gives speeches and performs her songs, in the UK and North America. She is currently banned from entering France, where Holocaust denial is illegal.
Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We thoroughly welcome this decision. A repeat offender who has never shown any sign of remorse for the damage that she causes, it is only right that Alison Chabloz must obey the remainder of her sentencing conditions. Let this outcome act as a reminder to all antisemites that their actions will not be tolerated or ignored. Wherever there is Jew-hatred, we will be there to fight it.”
Campaign Against Antisemitism’s analysis of Home Office statistics shows that an average of over five hate crimes are directed at Jews every single day in England and Wales, with Jews more than five times likelier to be targets of hate crimes than any other faith group.
