Douglas Murray, a conservative author and New York Post columnist, emerged victorious in a libel case against the Guardian Media Group on Tuesday. The lawsuit stemmed from an article published in The Observer by columnist Kenan Malik on August 11, 2024.
In the column, Malik falsely accused Murray of “supporting violent racist attacks” during anti-immigration protests in the UK. These protests erupted following the stabbing of three young girls in Southport, England, in the summer of 2024.
The comments attributed to Murray were actually made months earlier during a separate interview with former Australian Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, which discussed Israel and Islam.
The error led to significant damage to Murray's reputation, prompting him to take legal action. Murray, who writes extensively on world and American politics, including issues like the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, condemned the article as “lazy journalism” on his social media platform X.
In court, lawyers for Guardian Media Group admitted the error and acknowledged that the claims made by Malik were false. They offered a public apology and agreed to pay Murray damages as well as cover his legal fees. The media company also corrected the article before its online publication and issued a printed correction in The Observer.
The protests that led to the false accusations against Murray were sparked by the tragic stabbing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. False rumors that the perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana, was an asylum seeker spread quickly, fueling tensions over immigration.
This misinformation led to widespread anti-immigration demonstrations across the UK, with 27 cities seeing protests. Police made over 1,280 arrests as authorities sought to quell the unrest.
Rudakubana was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison for the crime, but the false allegations surrounding his background continued to fuel division and anger.
Murray celebrated his legal victory, highlighting the importance of holding media outlets accountable for their errors. On social media, he expressed frustration at how the media had propagated unchecked claims and stressed the impact such false accusations could have on individuals' reputations.
I should have noted that the Guardian group (which had to apologise and retract their falsehoods in court this morning) left X last year because of alleged ‘disinformation’ on this platform… pic.twitter.com/r0jVlpRVYi
— Douglas Murray (@DouglasKMurray) March 11, 2025
“Last year, the paper made very serious and false accusations against me, based on unchecked claims on social media,” Murray said after the court decision.
