Syrian refugee boy, 16, to sue Facebook for running fake news

A Syrian refugee boy who was violently attacked in a video uploaded to social media is suing Facebook over claims that he attacked an English girl.

Lawyers for Jamal, 16, are preparing to sue Facebook for allowing far-right figure Tommy Robinson to spread false accusations about the boy for financial gain.

The boy’s legal team says Facebook was “fully aware of the recklessness and pernicious nature” of Mr Robinson’s published content but allowed him to continue because of the traffic generated.

Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, is the co-founder and former leader of the English Defence League.

The group is known for its demonstrations and slurs against the Muslim community.

Since Jamal was assaulted by a gang of classmates and allegedly waterboarded, Mr Robinson, 36, has claimed online that the boy was “not innocent” because he had terrorised other pupils.

Jamal said he was scared to go to school. “I cannot go to my school any more and there are people who hang around outside my house and video me on their phones,” he said.

Solicitor Rasnime Akunjee will argue Facebook gave Mr Robinson special treatment that contravenes their own regulations over defamatory content and that the company should be held responsible

Solicitor Rasnime Akunjee will argue Facebook gave Mr Robinson special treatment

for any damage caused by his speech.

Typically, Facebook pages are deleted if they are found to have five or more pieces of content that break the site’s rules. But more popular pages, including those of far-right activists, have been immune to those rules.

More than 10,000 people have contributed about £150,000 (Dh708,056) to help relocate Jamal and his family.