A London, Ont., doctor who does humanitarian work in Gaza is suing the owner of Rebel News for defamation, alleging a social media post and a related article harm his reputation.
In the Nov. 16 post on X, formerly Twitter, political commentator Ezra Lavant called Dr. Tarek Loubani a “long-time Hamas activist who operates out of Ontario.”
The post includes two links: To a 2013 Toronto Sun column by Levant that details Loubani’s arrest in Egypt and calls him “an extreme activist, ” and a 2023 National Post article about London police charging the doctor with mischief after ketchup was sprayed on the front door of MP Peter Fragiskatos’s office during a pro-Palestinian protest amid the Israel-Hamas war.
“As of January 17, 2024, Levant’s November 16, 2023 X post has been viewed at least 32,200 times, reposted 321 times, shared with accompanying commentary at least nine times, liked 541 times, bookmarked 12 times, and replied to 26 times,” says the lawsuit filed in Superior Court in London.
Comments on Levant’s post “include calls for Loubani’s deportation, a hyperlink to his ‘member info’ page on the website of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, a call for Dr. Loubani’s employers to be made aware of ‘his behaviour’ and a call for the revocation of Dr. Loubani’s licence to practise medicine in Ontario,” court documents show.
The X post and the republishing of the decade-old Sun column have harmed and will continue to harm Loubani’s reputation, the documents allege, adding Levant “displayed a callous and wanton disregard for Dr. Loubani’s rights” and increased his humiliation and anxiety.
Loubani is seeking $2.1 million in damages and a permanent injunction against Levant requiring him to delete the statements against him.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
A statement of defence has not yet been filed.
But in an email to CBC News, Levant said he will defend himself against the lawsuit, calling it a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP), a civil claim that aims to silence political expression or criticism.
“It’s a transparent attempt by Loubani to silence a Jewish journalist who speaks out against Hamas terrorism,” Levant wrote in an email.
The mischief charge against Loubani remains before the courts.
