Magennis: Active X user
Garden Court Chambers has distanced itself from comments made by a pro-Palestinian member, which included him telling one X user to “Get my name out of your mouth, fascist-Zionist scum”.
Franck Magennis told another woman who had family members die in the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel that she was a “Zionist wretch” and tweeted as well that “we’re gonna fucking destroy” an Israeli arms manufacturer.
Mr Magennis, whose X biography describes him as ‘communist, barrister’, has had a higher profile in recent months with his outspoken criticism of Zionism and being part of the legal team that applied to the Home Office to de-proscribe Hamas under the Terrorism Act 2000 – which it was reported yesterday has been refused.
In the wake of the barrister announcing his work for Hamas on this, his set issued a statement saying that he was working in an individual capacity and “this in no way indicates that Garden Court Chambers supports his client”.
In a fresh statement this week, Garden Court Chambers said it was “aware of the statements made by one of its members, which were reported on social media and elsewhere”. It has confirmed that this refers to Mr Magennis.
Stressing that all of its members were self-employed, it continued: “We are aware that these statements have attracted publicity and commentary in the media and on social media channels. The barrister concerned made the statements and publicised them in their individual capacity.
“Those statements do not represent the views of Garden Court Chambers, and they should not be treated as reflecting any position held by Garden Court Chambers. Furthermore, Garden Court Chambers does not endorse the language and tone used to express them…
“We take this opportunity as a chambers to make clear that we unequivocally condemn racism and antisemitism in all its forms.”
Last weekend, Mr Magennis tweeted: “They’re not powerful enough to stop us. Elbit Systems UK Limited, you’d better be terrified of what’s coming. We’re gonna fucking destroy you. We’re only getting started. Tiocfaidh ár lá [Irish for ‘Our day will come’], you Zionist scum.”
In reply, Heidi Bachman, who says her husband’s relatives were “murdered and taken hostage by Hamas terrorists” on 7 October, wrote: “How is this person a barrister?”
Mr Magennis responded: “You’re an apologist for apartheid and genocide. The reckoning is coming. We’re gonna dismantle your beloved ethnostate, and its associated death machines, one brick at a time. I pray god has mercy on your soul, you Zionist wretch.”
These two tweets, as well as one that told the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, to “shut your racist, Zionist mouth”, triggered a response from barrister Barbara Rich.
Screenshotting the messages, along with an extract from the Bar Standards Board’s guidance on barristers’ conduct on social media, she said: “Is this not conduct which is discriminatory and in the public interest to regulate?”
Several other X users expressed outrage at Mr Magennis’s comments and said they would report him to the Bar Standards Board.
A look through Mr Magennis’s tweets in recent days shows him making similar comments to others.
In response to one tweet that said “Palestinianism has never been about Palestinians. In fancy Franck’s case it’s about destroying the west. Always was”, the barrister said: “Get my name out of your mouth, fascist-Zionist scum.”
He responded to a post by Lord Walney – the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption – condemning the group Palestine Action by saying: “Paid up member of the ‘Israel’ lobby, a shill for the arms companies most threatened by [Palestine Action’s] glorious work. Who cares what you think? Sit down, Zionist wretch. The Palestinian blood will never wash off your hands. You’re a pariah now.”
Mr Magennis also shared a video of him speaking at last week’s Marxism 2025 conference in London, in the wake of the government proscribing Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act, calling for “copycat direct action groups… to spring up everywhere… We mustn’t let the British Empire, that is participating in this genocide, push us around. They do not have the power to stop us.”
In recent days, he has sparred on X with prominent Jewish barrister Simon Myerson KC, following a newspaper headline quoting Mr Magennis saying “Kick Zionism to death”.
Mr Myerson tweeted: “I’m a Zionist. What would you like to do to me Franck?”
He replied: “You? Honestly, would be open to talking it all out over a pint. Nothing but love and respect for your humanity. Ngl [not going to lie] your politics are dogshit though. I’m genuinely always interested to hear from those with other political perspectives.”
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