Thread by @carolecadwalla

It’s an obscenity that the machinery of the British legal system can be used to target & harass journalists. This has to stop. I am profoundly grateful to Gavin Millar QC for setting out the legal & moral case for why we must defend public interest journalism.

And I survived 🙏

I wasn’t on trial for my life. But I was. My professional reputation, my career, potentially my home. I survived because I had to. And because I was lifted & supported by so many others who understood this was about something much bigger than me. And that I couldn’t do it alone.

What happens next is up to the judge. The verdict won’t be for weeks. But no-one who witnessed what happened in court can be in any doubt that this was about more than 23 words. The entire process was designed to punish, shame & humiliate me.

But I wasn’t shamed & humiliated. The amazing @jesssearch told me on first morning this is the advice given to female survivors of sexual assault. You can’t be shamed if you choose not to be. It’s in your control. It’s a Jedi mind trick & it works. I chose not to be.

So whatever happens, I won. I’m still standing. Because nearly 30,000 people have had my back & contributed to my 2 crowdfunders. Because I had a wall of people around me this week. And because I’ve decided: I will not be shamed.

This is a landmark case for the public interest defence. Judge must decide: were the words my honest belief. And was that belief reasonable. That’s it. Whatever happens, *I* know the truth. Of overwhelming public interest of the story. And that I couldn’t have worked any harder

My evidence included a tape recording of Banks’s associate Andy Wigmore admitting to illegally surveilling a journalist. And 2 days ago, @liambyrnemp told parliament, MI5 found evidence the information commissioner was being illegally surveilled by Banks
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

‘Reporting by Observer & Guardian journalist Carole Cadwalladr on the “covert relationship” between multimillionaire Brexit backer Arron Banks & Russian govt was of greatest public interest imaginable, her lawyer told the high court.’ By @Haroon_Siddique
theguardian.com/world/2022/jan…

And here’s an @allthecitizens film of the brilliant @rebecca_vincent of @RSF_inter explaining why this case is a SLAPP & what that means.

In the interests of fairness & balance, here’s the other side.

If you want to understand the case, full write-up by the brilliant Joanne O’Connor in the newsletter here:

And earlier tweet got deleted so here’s @rebecca_vincent of @RSF_en who monitored the case on behalf of 19 freedom of expression orgs. So grateful for them all 🙏