Tracy-Ann Oberman: what were Eastenders star’s antisemitism claim - how much will she pay in damages?

Former EastEnders star Tracy-Ann Oberman has apologised for a tweet she posted in April last year that alleged that anthropologist and Middle East specialist Dr Philip Proudfoot had a “Jew blocklist” on the social media platform.

In a statement made on Tuesday (26 April), Oberman has agreed to “pay substantial damages and legal costs”.

This is everything you need to know.

Who is Tracy-Ann Oberman?

Oberman is an English actress who is best known for her role as Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap EastEnders and as Auntie Val in the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner.

She was born in Brent, London, on 25 August 1966, and attended Heathfield School for Girls before going on to study at Leeds University for a degree in Classics - however, after a year, Oberman transferred to Manchester University to study drama.

After graduating from Manchester University, Oberman successfully applied to the Central School of Speech and Drama and from there she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Oberman is an established theatre actress, starring in West End productions like Waiting for Lefty and School Play, and appeared opposite Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn, Tenet) in 2003 in the National Theatre production of Edmond.

If you don’t recognise Oberman’s face, you might recognise her voice, as she has also appeared in over 600 radio plays, such as The Way It Is, The Attractive Young Rabbi and Getting Nowhere Fast.

Her other on screen credits include Doctor Who, Doctors, The Bill, Casualty, New Tricks, After Life, Sandylands, Code 404, It’s a Sin and Toast of London.

Oberman married music producer Rob Cowan in December 2004 and the two welcomed their daughter, Anoushka India, into the world on 23 August 2006.

Oberman is Jewish and has regularly contributed to The Jewish Chronicle.

In one piece published in 2017, Oberman wrote about the time her parents took her to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem when she was six years old.

She wrote: “This was probably the defining moment of my life.

“Too young to understand the context, but aware that it had something to do with being Jewish, I stood in a room full of horrific images, burning naked bodies being put into ovens, starving frightened faces at barbed wired fences.

“In one corner was a mountain of shoes belonging to dead children.

“I still remember feeling tiny and traumatised and asking myself: Is this what it means to be Jewish? It’s a question I’ve been asking ever since.”

What antisemitism claims did she make against Dr Philip Proudfoot?

On 4 April 2021, Oberman took to twitter to state that Dr Philip Proudfoot, an anthropologist and Middle East specialist and research fellow at the Institute for Development Studies at the University of Sussex, had a “Jew blocklist”.

In the now-deleted post, she wrote: “So a man called @PhilipProudfoot of @FreeNorthNow has a Jew blocklist. I’ve been out of the Twitter politics loop for a few months but is this Party continuation Corbyn? Seems like it. And will it end up the same way? Seems like it. Good luck all.”

Oberman accused Proudfoot, who is also the founder of the Northern Independence Party, of using an online tool which blocks Jews from interacting with him.

What had actually happened was that Proudfoot used Twitter’s Block Chain after being targeted by anonymous accounts which attacked him for his pro-Palestinian views. The tool blocked all Twitter users that followed said blocked account, regardless of whether or not that person was Jewish.

Following the claims made by Oberman, Proudfoot launched a libel claim against her, stating that her allegation caused serious harm to his reputation, particularly given his status as a prominent academic, according to his solicitors.

What damages is Tracy-Ann Oberman paying?

Oberman has apologised for her tweet and has agreed to pay “substantial damages”, the level of which have not been disclosed.

In a statement shared on Twitter after the settlement was reached, Oberman wrote: “On April 4 2021 I tweeted that Dr Philip Proudfoot ‘has a Jew blocklist’.

“The following day Dr Proudfoot explained that this was wrong and that he had used ‘a tool to mass block an account I followed that was involved in targeted trolling, which also blocks followers.’

“He has since assured me that this was an account which he believed was trolling and harassing him and he had not deliberately blocked Jewish accounts.

“I accept that Dr Proudfoot had at no time had a Jew blocklist and apologise for stating otherwise.

“I made a mistake and appreciate that my comments were hurtful.

“I have therefore deleted my tweet, agreed to pay substantial damages and legal costs.”

Responding to his libel settlement, Proudfoot said in a statement: “When I founded the Northern Independence Party, I expected public scrutiny. Harmful defamation, however, is unacceptable.

“Outside of my political life I am a humanitarian researcher. I’ve seen the horrors of war in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. It is for this reason I am a supporter of the struggle for human rights in Palestine. And it is for this reason I am appalled and disgusted by antisemitism, and all forms of prejudice.

“But it is harmful to allow the fear of false accusations to prevent us from speaking out against apartheid in Israel. Speaking out against injustice is also a fundamental political right.

“We must defend our rights, defend Palestinians, and never allow defamation to scare away solidarity.”

His lawyer, Zillur Rahman, of Rahman Lowe solicitors, added: “I am delighted for Philip, it really is a resounding victory.

“Antisemitism is a serious problem in our society and it is unfortunate that some people, like Philip, who show solidarity with the Palestinians in their struggle for freedom from Israel’s oppression, have been falsely accused of antisemitism, which can have a chilling effect on free speech against injustices and human rights violations.”