Silencing A Saudi Critic in London

Excellent article in Accuracy in Media about a very disturbing lawsuit filed in London against Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, author of a book entitled Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It. She's being sued by Khalid Salim a Bin Mahfouz, a Saudi billionaire named in the book.

This suit is remiscent of a libel suit filed by the notorious Israeli Moonbat Neve Gordon against Prof. Stephen Plaut of the University of Haifa. Here is one of the several articles I have seen on that shameful effort to prevent free speech.

This kind of lawsuit is known as a "SLAPP" suit, as in "Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation." That is defined, in the U.S. at least, as "civil complaints or counterclaims (against either an individual or an organization) in which the alleged injury was the result of petitioning or free speech activities protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution." The defendants are usually not big publications but rather small-time authors or newspaper letter-writers.

Moonbats love SLAPP suits. A few months ago, for instance, Campus Watch, published an article from Tikkun endorsing the Gordon suit and viciously attacking Plaut. You will note that this piece ostensibly favors "academic freedom" -- but only for the Moonbats, not their critics.

SLAPP suits are the quintessential "junk" lawsuit, and it would be nice if the Bush administration had them taken to the trash bin as well.