The Spectator and Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard have apologised and paid damages to Islam Expo Ltd, the company that organises London’s IslamExpo exhibitions.
The company had brought libel proceedings in respect of an article published on the Spectator website, written by Mr Pollard, which suggested that the company was “a fascist party” “dedicated to genocide”, and that IslamExpo was a conference with a racist and genocidal programme.
An application for a ruling that the article was not capable of bearing such a meaning was dismissed by Mr Justice Tugendhat in July. The application was unusual in that the Defendants sought to rely on material hyperlinked from the original article. The Judge found that that material made no difference to the outcome.
The purpose of the IslamExpo exhibitions is to provide a neutral and broad-based platform for debate on issues relating to Muslims and Islam, as the Spectator and Mr Pollard accept.
The Spectator and Mr Pollard have now apologised for the “unintended and false” suggestion in Mr Pollard’s article, and have paid Islam Expo damages and legal costs. They have also undertaken not to repeat the libel.
5RB‘s Adrienne Page QC and Richard Munden, instructed by Farooq Bajwa & Co, acted for Islam Expo, while Yuli Takatsuki, instructed by Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, acted for the Spectator and Mr Pollard.
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