In a recent development, actor-turned-politician Laurence Fox has initiated legal proceedings against Mukhtar Ali Yassin for allegedly labeling him as a “racist” on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The High Court in London is now set to deliberate on the matter, following a hearing on Wednesday.
The libel case revolves around four tweets exchanged during a confrontation between Fox and Yassin in May of the previous year. Representing Fox, Ben Gallop informed the court that Yassin had made “seriously defamatory allegations of racism against my client that are bare comments.”
Yassin, in turn, is actively defending himself against the claim. During the proceedings, Judge Mrs Justice Collins Rice decided that a hearing should be convened to determine whether the posts in question constituted statements of fact or opinion. The outcome of this hearing will play a crucial role in shaping any future trial.
Notably, neither Fox nor Yassin were present in court on Wednesday, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for a later date.
This legal action comes just days after the same judge ruled in a separate case that Fox had libeled two individuals—former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Crystal—by accusing them of being “paedophiles” on X in October 2020. Judge Collins Rice characterised Fox’s allegations as “seriously harmful, defamatory, and baseless,” stemming from an exchange about Sainsbury’s decision to mark Black History Month.
During the same judgment, the judge dismissed counter-claims made by Fox against Blake, Crystal, and broadcaster Nicola Thorp, who had described Fox as “a racist.” Fox, the founder of the Reclaim Party, has indicated his intention to appeal following this decision.
