Judge grants CAA petition to declare Tony Greenstein legally bankrupt over legal costs in his humiliating failed “notorious antisemite” defamation claim

A judge has today declared Tony Greenstein legally bankrupt in a brief hearing that follows his predictable failure to comply with court orders to pay Campaign Against Antisemitism tens of thousands of pounds after his humiliating failed defamation claim against us.

Mr Greenstein has been ordered by judges to pay Campaign Against Antisemitism £81,854, over a libel claim brought by Mr Greenstein after we called him a “notorious antisemite”. In an example of litigation humiliatingly backfiring, the High Court struck out Mr Greenstein’s libel claim against us, ruling that it was permissible for us to call the co-founder of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and expelled Labour Party member a “notorious antisemite” in articles on our website. Mr Greenstein then brought an appeal against aspects of the High Court ruling, which he also lost earlier this month.

Following an Insolvency and Companies Court hearing today that lasted only a quarter of an hour, Judge Catherine Burton, noting that Mr Greenstein has been properly served and failed to attend or make representations, concluded proceedings by saying: “I make a bankruptcy order this day against Tony Greenstein at 10:46am.”

Today’s declaration makes it far more difficult for Mr Greenstein to litigate against individuals and organisations, as he is wont to do.

Additionally, it means that Mr Greenstein may now meet the criteria for automatic disqualification as a charity trustee. We have written to the Charity Commission in order to notify them of his bankruptcy order given that he is listed as a trustee of The Brighton Trust, formerly known as the “Trust 4 Unpopular Causes”.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The wheels of justice may grind slow at times, but they grind sure. Our defamation win against Tony Greenstein secured our ability to call out anti-Jewish racism in order to combat it. The bankruptcy order against Mr Greenstein will greatly reduce his capacity to litigate against others without any ability or intention to pay when he loses. Today’s ruling should serve as a warning to others that we will be unrelenting in the pursuit of justice for the Jewish community.”

At the insolvency hearing, Campaign Against Antisemitism was represented by Karl Anderson. Over the course of the legal case, Campaign Against Antisemitism was represented by Adam Speker QC, to whom we are extremely grateful for appearing at the appeal hearing pro bono, instructed by solicitors Keith Mathieson and Alex Wilson of RPC, and advised pro bono by solicitor Dr Mark Lewis who is an honorary patron of Campaign Against Antisemitism.