Spectator and Douglas Murray Defeat Mohammed Hijab Libel Claim

London’s High Court on Tuesday dismissed a defamation action brought by YouTuber Mohammed Hijab against The Spectator magazine and its columnist Douglas Murray, ruling that the article at the centre of the dispute caused no serious harm to Hijab’s reputation. Mr Justice Johnson found that Murray’s September 24 2022 column, which described Hijab as a street agitator during Hindu-Muslim unrest in Leicester, was “substantially true.” The judge said Hijab’s own online videos were at least as damaging to his standing as the article and characterised the claimant’s courtroom testimony as “worthless,” noting multiple instances where Hijab had lied or given inconsistent evidence. Hijab had sought tens of thousands of pounds in damages and recovery of hundreds of thousands in legal costs, citing alleged lost sponsorship and fundraising contracts. The court rejected those assertions, saying the purported agreements appeared to have been contrived to bolster the lawsuit. The judgment ends a high-profile case that free-speech advocates had followed closely, and leaves Hijab liable for the defendants’ legal expenses.