Laurence Fox, a well-known right-wing activist and former actor in the United Kingdom, has been ordered to pay £180,000 ($225,242) to two LGBTQ+ men, former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Crystal, due to remarks Fox made on X (previously Twitter) falsely labeling them as pedophiles. RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Crystal, following comments Fox made on X (formerly Twitter) falsely referring to them as pedophiles.
Fox had previously lost a legal dispute involving the two men back in January, when high court judge Justice Collins Rice ruled that he had defamed them. He has been ordered to pay each of them £90,000 ($112,621).
This defamation occurred when Fox had criticized the supermarket chain Sainsbury’s and called for a boycott after they posted in support of Black History Month. Blake and Crystal, whose legal name is Colin Seymour, had called him a racist for his post, to which he responded by accusing the two men of being pedophiles.
Rice stated, “By calling Mr. Blake and Mr. Seymour pedophiles, Mr. Fox subjected them to a wholly undeserved public ordeal. It was a serious, baseless, and indefensible libel, with distressing and harmful real-world consequences for them.”
Fox had previously tried to countersue both men after they accused him of being racist. He claimed that being labeled a racist was damaging to his reputation and career, resulting in lost work. His claim was rejected after the January ruling.
Rice referred to the libel against the two men as “clearly homophobic.”
She added, “They are legally entitled to financial compensation to make up for the harmful effects and to ensure that they can move on from this matter, assured and confident in their innocence of the false accusation and recognizing the injustice done to them.”
The judge warned that if Fox repeated these accusations, he could be found in contempt of court.
Fox is the founder of the U.K. Reform Party and had a career appearing in TV shows like ITV’s Lewis. He previously ran for mayor of London without success. He also served as a commentator for the far-right news network GB News.
In the past, Fox has posted images of the Pride flag as a swastika, burned the flag on video, engaged in blackface, mocked Black Lives Matter, and opposed national COVID safety guidelines such as lockdowns and social distancing.
Following the January ruling, Crystal claimed that he received a lot of abuse after Fox's statements on Twitter.
“It’s awful,” he told PinkNews. “It’s been three years of non-stop abusive comments, especially when I'm in a public space outside of the drag community or the queer community.”
The judge expressed sympathy for Blake and Crystal, stating that “They had to fight a libel claim all the way to trial while enduring every possible argument against them. They have done so under the sustained barrage of Mr. Fox’s exercising his right to amplify free speech.”
Fox called the ruling a “bullies charter” and shared his complaints about it on Twitter, stating, “You get the same money if you lose a leg at work. So strange it’s almost comical.”
The practice of labeling LGBTQ+ individuals as “pedophiles” or “groomers” has been occurring for years and promotes violence against the LGBTQ+ community. The insult has particularly targeted drag performers who have been criticized globally for supposedly “sexualizing children” through “mature” performances.
