David Paisley's harassment of Ceri Black continues
David Paisley has targeted Ceri Black again, serving her papers on the day of her birthday and just a few weeks before her wedding to her partner, Lauren. The timing of his action seems designed to cause her as much stress as possible. I spoke with Ceri about the latest in a vindictive activist’s single-minded campaign to destroy the lives of gay people who don’t agree with him on trans issues.
GL: Before we get into what’s happening now can you give me a bit of background? How did you first become aware of Paisley?
CB: The first time I ever heard of David Paisley was when we set up the LGB Alliance Ireland and David Paisley thought he’d uncovered a scandal when he found out our server was located in London. This was around the same time that Noah Halpin paid 35 euros to get our IP address. This was used as ‘proof’ that we weren’t actually Irish. We live in County Armagh but that didn’t stop people like Amnesty’s Colm O’Gorman joining in with the abuse.
GL: Oh, yes, I remember that.
CB: So that was the first time and he was just banging on and on “Who are you really? Where are you really? Are you in London?”. Him and his trolls were after the LGB Alliance account, so I blocked him on that account and blocked him on my account, and stopped thinking about him. I used the word "Parsley" in a tweet, which was up for all of a few hours, before I received a threatening DM from him. I hoped that would be the end of it, but he reported me to the police, and I publicly announced that he had done so. The police didn't even interview me, and the Prosecution Service dropped it. Having failed to get me chucked in a cell, he changed tack. He wrote long, rambling pseudo legal letters to people and organisations who supported me. He reported tweets of mine under the new rules that i couldn't show a picture of him. He had YouTube take down several interviews that I had done. Then he had solicitors write me a long threatening letter accusing me of everything from harassment to human rights violations. I ignored that.
GL: So what’s the latest?
CB: They served me with a writ on my birthday, a couple of weeks before my wedding. Just like the last time when they wrote to me a few days before Christmas. He’s going to sue me for libel and breach of confidentiality because I showed evidence of his harassment to a police officer in order to get a record of it. He believes that has breached his data protection rights or something.
GL: What’s the libel aspect about?
CB: He claims that me reading out his own tweets is libel. He said I accused him of beingh a clild molester. So during a speech I said “For the avoidance of all doubt, I do not think that David Paisley as a child molester.” He thinks THAT’S libel.
GL: How are the preparations for the wedding coming on?
CB: We've got everything going on at the moment. Lauren’s grandmother is in the end stages of her life. And we don't know whether we're going to have a funeral first or a wedding. And that's stressful and difficult. Yeah, and then this whole thing with Paisley… I mean, it's worth saying what it actually means for us and for our family. So we have no money to pay for lawyers or defend a libel action. We have some assets but not enough to pay his costs. So if he takes us to court, and I'm unable to defend myself effectively, and he actually manages to win something I end up having to pay his costs and the libel court and I lose, then I lose my house, I’ll have to go bankrupt. But I haven't got a choice now. Previously, I did absolutely everything I could to avoid ending up in court opposite this man. I want nothing to do with him. I want him nowhere near me. I want to be nowhere near him. I wish he had just stayed blocked, and just left me alone. The way that I have left him alone. But now, I can't avoid it. I have to go to court to defend it. There's no other option. So I mean I can't say no, thank you. I don't want to defend it. Because if I do that, they'll just award against me and award costs. So I have to go to court and I have to defend myself. All I’ve done is publicize his campaign of harassment against me.
GL: What was the result when you reported the harassment to the police?
CB: They paid him a visit. That might be why he’s dropped his claim of harassment against me. Of the two of us, he’s the only one who’s been told by police to back off.
Him again. Not sure how much more light can be shone or how many more times the stones can be turned over to see those litigious individuals scuttle out. He is what he accuses others of. Again, how is he being allowed to do this, there is enough evidence that he is determined to continue his sustained campaign of harassment. How many years will they allow his attempts to wreck lives.
Much love and luck to Ceri and family. He will not win. I can't fund your whole defence, but whatever we can do, however small, we will. And many, many of us sick of this and his abuse.
He really is the most disgusting misogynist. I really hope things all settle down for Ceri and her family. He needs to be told to pack it in, it's targeted harassment. Thank god the NI police seem to have some sense.