Laurence Fox has been called “an intelligent racist with an agenda” who blacked up and aimed foul-mouthed abuse at ethnic minorities for attention, at the start of his High Court libel trial. The actor-turned-activist and politician is being sued by former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and drag artist Crystal over a 2020 row on Twitter.
Mr Fox, the former star of TV’s Lewis who now heads the Reclaim Party, called for a boycott of Sainsbury’s when the supermarket giant announced its support for Black History Month in October 2020.
When Mr Blake and Crystal – real name Colin Seymour, a former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant – stated on social media that Fox was a racist, he responded by separately calling them “paedophiles”.
Opening the libel case, Lorna Skinner KC put forward evidence allegedly supporting the contention that Fox is a racist.
It included an August 2023 tweet in which Mr Fox is pictured apparently blacked up and wearing an afro wig, accompanied by the statement that he has “recently racially transitioned”.
“First the hair curling, then the course of white blockers. It’s just great to finally be myself”, he wrote.
Ms Skinner told the court: “This is so offensive on so many levels, it’s difficult to know where to start. It is self-evidently a racist tweet, and even the most naïve person understands that blacking up is inappropriate and offensive.
The barrister argued Mr Fox, a former GB News host, had made racist assumptions when posting on Twitter about migrants arriving in small boats, he had posted a picture of Pride flags arranged into the shape of a Swastika, and he had commented that young black protesters in Peckham should “f*** off back to Jamaica”.
Ms Skinner accused Mr Fox of “Alice in Wonderland thinking” when arguing that promoting inclusion and diversity is itself racist, and said of the Swastika image: “Such a disgusting post could only be made by a complete ignoramus or an intelligent racist with an agenda. (He) is the latter.”
Mr Fox is countersuing Mr Blake and Mr Seymour, as well as Coronation Street actress Nicola Thorp, after all three accused him of being a racist in the Sainsbury’s Twitter row. His barrister, Patrick Green KC, said he supports free speech “passionately”, and “believes it to be fundamental to the future of society”.
“He is an ardent advocate of free speech, and believes when there is unpleasant free speech it shouldn’t be met with defamation cases but there should be more free speech”, he said.
Mr Fox is set to argue that he started an online debate after the Sainsbury’s row, and he says he used the word “paedophile” in his tweets as a “transparently baseless slur” to show that the accusation of racism being levelled against him was “equally baseless”.
In a statement the following week, Mr Fox said he reacted to “being constantly…. labelled a racist” and was “attempting to make the point that words have meanings that are extremely powerful”.
“On reflection, I could have done this in a wiser and more effective way”, he added. “I abhor discrimination in all its forms, just as I take a principled stance against racism.”
Mr Blake and Mr Seymour, who are both gay, are due to give evidence in the libel battle, and are expected to say they suffered online abuse after Mr Fox’s “paedophile” slurs.
Mr Blake, who says he did not know who Mr Fox was before the Twitter row, posted “what a mess, what a racist twat”.
Ms Skinner told the court in her opening: “Society rightly views paedophilia as one of the most fundamental evils – a breach of trust that children must place in adults if they are to survive and grow.
“The consequences of such an allegation are therefore wide-ranging. No rational parent would permit contact between a person against whom the allegation is made and their children, just in case.”
She said a person would face abuse, social shunning, and threats, and could lose their job as a consequence of being accused.
“The allegation is particularly serious if the person accused is a gay man”, she added. “Sadly it remains the case even today that some sectionsof society believe the homophobic trope that gay men are more likely to engage in paedophilia than others.”
Mr Fox will argue his Tweet at Mr Blake did not cause serious harm to his career or reputation, while he says he is not responsible for Mr Seymour suffering continued online abuse.
“Many people believe that sexualised dancing while cross-dressing is an inappropriate form of entertainment for children”, Mr Green argued, in written submissions.
“Some of those people have taken to calling (Mr Seymour) a ‘paedophile’ for performing this act in front of those under the age of 18.”
Mr Fox has also put forward details of his own career trajectory, with a litany of offers from 2019 and work drying up from 2021.
In the past, he says he was approached about possible roles in Succession and Disney’s Obi-Wan, as well as TV stints in Catchphrase, The Masked Singer, and a Gordon Ramsay show.
But he lists just nine interactions in 2021 and 2022, including an offered online talk with Whoopi Goldberg and Sophia Loren, an approach to appear in Channel 4’s Scared of the Dark, the offer of a role in ‘Monkey Island’ and a possible appearance in a production called ‘Fornication Under the Consent of the King’. Fox is present in court, supported by former GB News colleague Calvin Robinson. On the other side of the courtroom are Mr Blake, Ms Thorp, and Mr Seymour, while Ms Thorp’s fiancé, actor Nikesh Patel, is in the public gallery.
The week-long libel trial continues.
