A swing and a miss?


It’s not easy tracking down Galloway’s libel suit history.

In May 2009 he announced plans to sue Canada’s immigration minister Jason Kenney for not letting him drop in on Canada.

British antiwar MP George Galloway, who was denied entry into Canada in March, announced Friday he plans to sue Immigration Minister Jason Kenney over suggestions he supports terrorism.

The defamation notice, the first step in commencing a defamation action, was also served on senior members of two Jewish organizations as well as a top Kenney aide.

Galloway alleges the respondents made more than a dozen statements that were widely published in Canada and abroad but were false and damaged his reputation.

A source who asked not to be named said Galloway considered statements from Canadian Jewish Congress CEO Bernie Farber to be the most egregious because they were “so outrageous and so extreme.”

Among other things, Farber had said Galloway did not have the right “to raise funds for terrorist causes” in Canada.

The notice gave the respondents three days to apologize or retract their statements, or Galloway will issue a statement of claim next month, said Toronto lawyer Nicole Chrolavicius, who is acting for the politician.

The notice also names Jewish congress co-president Sylvain Abitbol and Frank Dimant of B’Nai Brith Canada, who said in March that “individuals who glorify terrorism” deserve to be denied entry to Canada.

Next month, The Star said, but in fact it was April 2011, a month short of two years later, when he proceeded with the suit:

OTTAWA – Outspoken former British MP George Galloway has made good on his threat to sue Canada’s immigration minister over an attempt to ban him from entering the country for a Canadian speaking tour.

A statement of claim filed Tuesday alleges Jason Kenney and his assistant Alykhan Velshi abused the power of their offices by banning Galloway from Canada in March 2009.

The statement of claim, which seeks $1.5 million in damages, also alleges that Kenney and Velshi defamed Galloway in British newspapers.

He did proceed, but I can’t find the outcome. Wikipedia doesn’t say.

I suppose it’s more likely to be findable if it succeeded than if it failed, so maybe not finding it=it failed. But I don’t know.

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