The Guardian Media Group was forced to apologize to Douglas Murray on Tuesday for falsely accusing him of “supporting violent racist attacks” during anti-immigration protests in the U.K. last year, after the British author won his libel suit against the media company in a London court.
“Legal update: Today I won a major libel claim against Guardian Media / Observer (@guardian) for its lazy journalism,” Murray said in a post on X. “Last year the paper made very serious and false accusations against me, based on unchecked claims on social media.”
The claims at issue were made in an August 11, 2024 column from Kenan Malik in The Observer. Malik cited an interview Murray had done with former Deputy Australian Prime Minister John Anderson about Israel and Islam, and falsely claimed the comments had been made in connection to the anti-immigration protests in the U.K. last year, when in fact the interview had taken place six months before the riots ever happened.
The protests in the U.K. were set off last summer when Axel Rudakubana’s stabbed three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England. False claims that Rudakubana, who was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison, was an asylum seeker spread on social media, sparking anti-immigrant protests that took over some 27 cities throughout the U.K. The demonstrations led to 1,280 arrests.
Months before the riots occurred, Murray told Anderson during their discussion on Israel, Islam and immigration that “the British soul is awakening and stirring with rage at what these people are doing.”
The article falsely claimed that Murray’s reference to “these people” was about migrants who had been attacked during the riots.
“The article stated that Mr Murray was angry towards the migrants who were inside mosques and hotels during the riots who were ‘fearing for their lives, worshippers seeking refuge, those trying to ward off racist attackers on the streets,'” attorneys for the Guardian Media Group said in a statement before the court on Tuesday.
“The article therefore accused Mr Murray of supporting the violent racist attacks made against migrants which took place during the riots of the summer of 2024. These allegations were wholly untrue. Their publication has caused Mr Murray considerable distress,” the statement added.
The error, which was published in its print edition, had been corrected before the piece published online. A correction was issued by the Observer‘s print edition.
Now, the Guardian Media Group was left to again acknowledge the accusations were false, with the company agreeing to pay Murray “substantial damages” and his legal costs.