A man admitted Monday attacking firebrand left-wing lawmaker George Galloway on a London street, but denied it was a religiously aggravated assault and so will face trial.
Neil Masterson, 39, was remanded in custody at Isleworth Crown Court in London and will stand trial on November 10.
Masterson, a full-time caregiver who used to work as a manager at the BBC and for the Department for Work and Pensions, admitted assaulting Galloway on August 29 by beating him, but denied the charge of religiously aggravated common assault.
Masterson had been accused of attacking Galloway for being anti-Semitic.
“He said he carried out the attack because he felt the victim was an enemy of Judaism,” prosecutor Tom Gill said at a September 1 hearing.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Masterson also admitted assaulting another man, Mostafa Maroof, on the same date.
Galloway, the Respect Party lawmaker for Bradford West in northern England, needed an overnight stay in hospital. The pro-Palestinian Scotland-born politician was said to have suffered bruising and swelling to his face.
The outspoken Galloway was questioned by British police earlier in August after declaring Bradford an “Israel-free zone.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
