Legal Updates

Statements according to which a person is a “racist” or a “fascist” shall not necessarily be considered defamation

March 16, 2023
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Published in Afik & Co. marks the birth date of the Spanish economist, mathematician, politician and writer José María Waldo Echegaray y Eizaguirre (April 19, 1832 – September 14, 1916), Spanish Minister of Finance, founder of the Bank of Spain as the central bank, Nobel Prize for Literature laureate (together with Frédéric Mistral) in 1904, and the founder of the Royal Spanish Society of Mathematics in 1911 and its first president.

During a television broadcast, in response to racist remarks by Amir Hetsroni against the Moroccans in general and against another woman who was present on the show in particular, the woman called Amir Hetsroni a "racist" and a "fascist".

The Court held that under the circumstances the statements do not amount to defamation. Defamation is, inter alia, a publication that may humiliate a person in the eyes of others or demean the person due to acts, behavior or traits attributed to him. However, if the publication is a legitimate opinion relating to the statements or actions of the person, this shall not be considered defamation. Here, Amir Hetsroni's statements are in line with the dictionary definition of "racist", where fascism is associated with a person with racist views. Therefore, these epithets constitute a legitimate expression of opinion on Amir Hetsroni's statements and not does not amount to defamation.

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