Solicitor faces tribunal over ‘plainly extremely offensive’ tweets

A solicitor posted ‘inappropriate and offensive’ tweets, some of which are claimed to be antisemitic, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard at the start of a five-day hearing today. Farrukh Najeeb Husain, admitted in February 2014, was employed by commercial firm Bevan Brittan at the time of the alleged tweets.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority launched an investigation after it received a complaint from the firm. Husain’s subsequent correspondence with the regulator is also alleged to have been ‘inappropriate and/or offensive’.

Louise Culleton, for the SRA, said the tweets had been published on a public profile and the regulator did not consider Husain to be acting in a personal capacity. She said: ‘It is on a public setting meaning anyone can access it and view the respondent’s profile and tweets. It remains public as of today, meaning anyone can access it still. It is still visible; it has not been removed.’

She added: ‘In this case the respondent was readily identifiable as a solicitor by his own indication in his Twitter profile and feed. [His] Twitter is on a public setting for anybody to see in the public realm rather than a private realm.’

The tweets including several directed to journalist Hugo Rifkind about a Times Radio interview with historian and travel writer William Dalrymple, the tribunal heard. Husain is alleged to have used the words ‘typical Zionist’ and ‘Zionist pig’.

Husain is also alleged to have replied to a tweet by a barrister with ‘reference to Nazi language’ and with a ‘deliberate reference to the Holocaust’, Culleton said, reading from an expert report.

She added: ‘The SRA case is there are a significant number of inappropriate and offensive tweets over the nine months. Some of them being antisemitic as well as inappropriate and/or offensive. Some are just plainly extremely offensive to the individual they were directed to as well as in general, amounting to conduct unbefitting a solicitor.’

The three-person tribunal was told that when considering the tweets it would be ‘useful to apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition [of antisemitism]’. Culleton told the tribunal that the use of the word ‘Zionist’ was used ‘in many instances’ as a proxy or synonym for the word Jew.

Culleton added: ‘The conduct…including publishing tweets to a public audience which were alleged antisemitic, discriminatory, racist and offensive toward Jewish individuals but also to other nationalities and ethnicities would have a negative impact on those who follow the respondent’s views on social media.’

Husain is also alleged to have sent offensive emails to the SRA. One of the emails, Culleton said, included the words: ‘You are Zionist apologists and fascists. I look forward to the McCarthy show trial [from] you and your sly fascist organisation.’

Culleton said: ‘[Husain] made various complaints to and about the investigating officer and he took a certain approach to her and the SRA investigation which led to those communications which the SRA contend are inappropriate and/or offensive.’

The SRA says Husain is in breach of principles 2, 5 and 6 of the 2019 principles. Husain argues that his Twitter account is personal and no allegations should have been bought against him.

The hearing, which is listed for five days, continues.