Craig Murray

Craig Murray is a former British diplomat and blogger who divides opinion. Murray is considered an expert on international affairs by his followers but is otherwise considered a conspiracy theorist with traces of antisemitism. He contributes entries to his own blog at CraigMurray.com but also for other fringe publications such as The Truth Seeker and has published a memoir, Murder in Samarkand (2006).Review: Murder in Samarkand, David Leigh, The Guardian, 12 August 2006 This book was adapted by David Hare for BBC Radio Four, starring David Tennant as Murray.
Murray is a defender of Julian Assange and has some unorthodox views on sex. He is the originator of conspiracy theories, having claimed the British state are trying to silence him.
Born in Norfolk in 1958, the peak of his diplomatic career was his appointment in 2002 as British ambassador to Uzbekistan. He was removed from the job in 2004 and has claimed this was because he was of his criticism of human rights violations by the Uzbek government.
==Ideas==
Murray has argued that Britain's voting system is corrupt and fraudulent and election results are not to be trusted. He has raised concerns about the increasing use of postal votes.British democracy: no better than Uzbekistan's, Craig Murray, The Guardian, 8 April 2008 
Murray disputed whether Russia was responsible for the 2018 chemical weapons attack in Salisbury, England.UK's claims questioned: doubts voiced about source of Salisbury novichok, The Guardian, 15 Mar 2018The Novichok Story Is Indeed Another Iraqi WMD Scam, Craig Murray, The Truth Seeker, 15 March 2018 Instead, he speculated Israel may be responsible and on Twitter suggested that the parliamentary group Labour Friends of Israel were involved in a cover-up to attribute blame to Russia.Craig Murray Goes Conspiracy Again!, Harry's Place, March 15 2018 CraigMurrayOrg on Twitter, 7:58 AM - 15 Mar 2018Russian To Judgement, Craig Murray, Mar 13, 2018
==Legal disputes==
In 2007, his blog was shut down in the UK by lawyers for Uzbek business magnate and football fan and in 2008 he was the subject of legal action from "private security contractor" Tim Spicer over a book he was yet to publish.A national disgrace, a global menace, and a pre-democratic anachronism, George Monbiot, The Guardian, 15 July 2008
In 2017, he was sued for libel by Jake Wallis Simons, then associate editor of the Daily Mail Online.Save Craig Murray, Craig Murray, 6 September 2017 The offending article was taken down but seems to have been connected with allegations of antisemitism in the British Labour Party. The case was settled in November 2017 with a statement that "Mr Murray accepts that Dr Wallis Simons is not a liar, and Dr Wallis Simons accepts that Mr Murray is not an anti-Semite. They are both pleased to have resolved this dispute amicably."The End of the Affair, Craig Murray, 7 November 2017
Murray supports Scottish independence. It is claimed by devotees of Scottish Nationalist conspiracy theories that he is being targeted by the powers that be as part of a wider scheme to destroy the independence movement.'Save Craig Murray' — former UK Ambassador and Dundee Uni rector being sued by the Daily Mail for libel, Reddit, 2017
Murray was charged with contempt of court for material contained in his blogs in the run-up and during the trial of Alex Salmond, the former Scottish First Minister, for sexual assault and attempted rape in 2020. Salmond was acquitted. Murray was accused of trying to influence the jury via "jigsaw" identification of the complainants, i.e. providing sufficient information to allow the women to be identified. He was found guilty in 2021 and sentenced to 8 months imprisonment.Craig Murray loses contempt of court case over reports of Alex Salmond trial, The National, 22 March 2021 (paywalled)The World Darkens a Little More: I May Have to Spend Some Time as a Political Prisoner, Craig Murray blog, 22 March 2021Craig Murray has been sentenced to eight months in prison for contempt of court over the Alex Salmond trial - he is told he has 48 hours to hand himself in, although Roddy Dunlop is attempting to lodge an immediate appeal without warrant being granted, Philip Sim (BBC News), Twitter, 11 May 2021
==Antisemitism or anti-Zionism==
Murray blames Israel for many things well beyond the oppression of the Palestinian people (see above), while a book collecting his writings in this area was entitled Zionism is Bullshit: Selected Speeches, Interviews and Writings: Volume 1Zionism is Bullshit: Selected Speeches, Interviews and Writings: Volume 1 (Collected Political Works of Craig Murray), Craig Murray, ed Kirsten E MacDonald, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 23 Jun 2017 (which Murray claimed he was banned from advertising on Facebook).Interview with Craig Murray, Randy Credico and Dennis J Bernstein, MintPress News, 1 Feb 2018 Because of this habit, he has been accused by sources other than Wallis Simons of associating with and defending anti-semites.Guardian legitimises Craig Murray's anti-Israel conspiracy theory on Russian spy poisoning, UK Media Watch, 18 March 2018My Anti-Racist Comments on Israel, Craig Murray, 29 Apr 2016, Marlon Solomon (supergutman) on Twitter, 26 Sep 2017 (He was also inadvertently caught up in an antisemitism scandal when SNP MSP Sandra White retweeted something containing an antisemitic cartoon and a separate link to a Murray articleSturgeon says sorry for MSP's retweet of antisemitic image, The Guardian, 12 Nov 2015 but that does not reflect on his own opinions.)
Murray has said the use of term "antisemitic" has become overused as a slur or way of shutting down criticism of Israel, comparing attacks on critics of Israel to McCarthyism and calling Israel an "apartheid state".The New McCarthyism – The "Anti-Semitism" Hysteria Gripping the UK, Craig Murray, CraigMurray.com He has also defended Ken Livingstone against the allegations of anti-semitism.Ken Livingstone: Stubborn and Wrong, But Not Anti-Semitic, Craig Murray, 5 April 2017
Murray has used "Zionist" as an indiscriminate insult for his enemies, throwing the label at Christopher Hitchens, Nick Cohen and Melanie Phillips (in a 2011 blog post celebrating Christopher Hitchens' then-recent death).Christopher Hitchens RIP, Craig Murray, 16 Dec 2011Hitchens and the anti-Zionists, Dave Rich, Community Support Trust, 20 Dec 2011
==References==
Category:Living people
Category:Authors
Category:Conspiracy theorists