Musician’s antisemitic slur leads to apology for charity
AN ANTISEMITIC jazz musician has been forced to deliver an apology in the High Court to the chairman of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, after accusing him of personally profiting from fabricating Jew-hate incidents.
Gilad Atzmon, who is Israeli, had to deliver the apology to CAA chairman Gideon Falter on Monday.
Mr Atzmon, who is known for challenging Holocaust denial legislation, published the allegations on his website last year in a piece titled Antisemitism is Merely a Business Plan. The CAA sued him for libel.
The charity said Mr Atzmon’s attack was in response to its efforts to have the saxophonist banned from music venues.
After two hours of argument in a hearing in May, High Court Justice Matthew Nicklin issued a preliminary ruling saying Mr Atzmon had deliberately accused Mr Falter of “dishonestly fabricating antisemitic incidents, and deliberately exaggerating the prevalence of antisemitism and antisemitic activity”.
Mr Atzmon, who has also claimed the Grenfell Tower tragedy was the responsibility of “Jerusalemites” who were “following mitzvot”, was not present at the High Court on Monday.
He instructed his solicitor, Jeffrey Smele, to deliver the apology.
The sum he will be ordered to pay, in legal costs and damages, is believed to run into tens of thousands of pounds.
In his statement, read out in open court, Mr Atzmon acknowledged the allegation was false. He agreed not to republish it and to pay damages to Mr Falter.
After the ruling, Mr Falter denied he had “earned a penny” from his work with CAA, which he has chaired for four years.
He added: “We are often accused by antisemites of seeking to stifle criticism of Israel or of making antisemitic incidents up.
“I am delighted I have been able to set the record straight and expose one such antisemitic liar for what he truly is.”