Israeli Public Figures File New Defamation Lawsuits Against Online Trolls
Seven new defamation lawsuits were filed in Israel by public figures and journalists, including Lucy Ahrisch and Ronen Bergman, through a coordinated legal campaign against online fake news and incitement.
A coordinated legal campaign against online defamation and fake news escalated on Tuesday as seven new libel lawsuits were filed through attorney Amit Mor from the Naschitz, Brandes, Amir law firm. Prominent public figures and journalists, including Barak Sari, Ronen Tzur, Dr. Ronen Bergman, and Lucy Ahrisch, have joined the libel war room's ongoing battle.
Crackdown on Online Incitement
Representatives of the libel war room stated following the filing of the lawsuits that the public campaign to rid Israeli social media of fake news and incitement is bearing fruit. According to their data, a significant drop of about 40% in the usage of the term "traitor" has been recorded across social platforms recently. However, organizers emphasized that they have no intention of stopping until the public sphere is completely cleansed.
"The current move establishes, first and foremost, zero tolerance for racism. We will continue to track, sue, and clean up the network text after text until everyone who chooses to poison the public space bears full legal and financial responsibility," the war room stated.
Targeted Campaigns and Libel
As part of this wave of litigation, a series of lawsuits was filed on behalf of journalist Lucy Ahrisch against parties who orchestrated a targeted campaign against her, exploiting her background to brand her with inflammatory slurs. Another prominent case involves Dr. Ronen Bergman's lawsuit against activist Amalia Ozer, highlighting the severe fabrication of false allegations regarding national security and the October 7 events. Additional actions include Ronen Tzur's lawsuit against a social media activist who compared him to Adolf Hitler, alongside Barak Sari joining the uncompromising fight against defamation.
