Pete Newbon Explained

Pete Newbon
Birth Date:1983
Nationality:British
Alma Mater:King's College, Cambridge

Peter Jonathan Hewitt Newbon (1983 – 15 January 2022) was a British academic and campaigner against antisemitism. At the time of his death, he was a lecturer in Romantic and Victorian literature at Northumbria University and a director of Labour Against Antisemitism.

Biography

Newbon studied at King's College, Cambridge,[1] from which he graduated with Bachelor of Arts (BA; 2006), Master of Philosophy (MPhil; 2007), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD; 2011) degrees. His doctoral thesis was titled "Representations of childhood in the Wordsworth circle".[2]

He joined Northumbria University in 2012.[3] His research interests were the concept of childhood in the Romantic period, and the concept of the boy-man in the long nineteenth century. He was married to academic Rachel Hewitt; they had three daughters.[4]

In May 2021, Newbon posted a manipulated image on Twitter of Jeremy Corbyn reading Michael Rosen's book We're Going on a Bear Hunt to a group of children. The cover of the book had been superimposed with the antisemitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. In a play on Rosen's words, "We can't go over it. We can't go under it. Oh no! We've got to go through it!", Newbon wrote, "A nasty, horrible Zionist! We can't go over him, we can't go under him, we'll have to make an effigy..." Rosen called the tweet "loathsome and anti-Semitic".[5] [6] [3] [7] Newbon subsequently received abusive online messages.[3] [8]

In spite of not being actually Jewish, Newbon described himself as being "sort of" Jewish through his paternal grandmother, though he described himself as "not at all religious".

Northumbria University received 4,000 complaints against Newbon and began disciplinary proceedings.[9] The disciplinary action culminated in Newbon being issued with a final written warning for bringing his employer into disrepute.

In July 2021, a claim was made against Newbon in the High Court for defamation, harassment and misuse of private information regarding an unrelated incident.[10] [11] [12] A financial settlement in relation to costs was reached against his estate as a result of this claim. In April 2024, the defamation claim succeeded against the two surviving defendants and the claimant was awarded £30,000 in damages to reflect the conduct of all three defendants. The judge found that Newbon's conduct was "simply abusive" and "amounted to a form of public bullying".[13]

Newbon died on 15 January 2022 from a fall from a road bridge. His inquest was conducted by the Assistant Coroner for North Yorkshire and York, Jonathan Leach, in Northallerton on 4 April 2023. The Coroner's finding was suicide.[14] The dispute with Rosen was not referred to at the Coroner's hearing.

After his death, the Board of Deputies of British Jews opened a condolence book in his honour.[15] The Jewish Chronicle described him as "the anti-racism warrior with a radiant soul" in stark contrast to the way he was described by the judge in the libel case against him.

Publications

Notes and References

  1. News: Sharpe . Fiona . 27 January 2022 . Pete Newbon, the anti-racism warrior with a radiant soul . . 4 April 2023 . 4 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404170119/https://www.thejc.com/news/news/pete-newbon-the-anti-racism-warrior-with-a-radiant-soul-6Q8ippuq5LVsmLHOZWAHv8 . live .
  2. Web site: Newbon . Peter Jonathan . Representations of childhood in the Wordsworth circle . E-Thesis Online Service . The British Library Board . 3 August 2023 . 2012.
  3. News: Newton . Grace . 4 April 2023 . Dr Peter Newbon inquest: Northumbria University lecturer died after falling off bridge over A64 in North Yorkshire . . 4 April 2023 . 4 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404134344/https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/people/dr-peter-newbon-inquest-northumbria-university-lecturer-died-after-falling-off-bridge-over-a64-in-north-yorkshire-4091594 . live .
  4. News: Frot . Mathilde . 20 January 2022 . Activist's widow pays tearful tribute . . 4 April 2023 . 5 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230405062827/https://www.thejc.com/news/news/activist%27s-widow-pays-tearful-tribute-3CXgtTr0Ls2KnruOxeviBq . live .
  5. News: Michael Rosen condemns Northumbria Uni lecturer's manipulated image tweet . 1 May 2023 . . 19 May 2021 . 1 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230501114101/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-57177131 . live .
  6. News: Flood, Alison . 20 May 2021 . 15 June 2023 . Michael Rosen condemns 'loathsome and antisemitic' manipulated image . . 5 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230405113529/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/may/20/michael-rosen-condemns-loathsome-and-antisemitic-manipulated-image . live .
  7. News: Mendick . Robert . 21 January 2022 . 15 June 2023 . Academic dies after Twitter anti-Semitism 'pile on' . . 21 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220121213124/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/01/21/academic-dies-twitter-anti-semitism-pile/ . live .
  8. News: 31 January 2022 . Probe launched into death of UK Jewish academic after Twitter antisemitism 'pile-on' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404144116/https://www.timesofisrael.com/probe-launched-into-death-of-uk-jewish-academic-after-twitter-antisemitism-pile-on/ . 4 April 2023 . 4 June 2023 . The Times of Israel.
  9. Hirsh . David . David Hirsh . 11 August 2022 . In Memory of Pete Newbon . Journal of Contemporary Antisemitism . 5 . 1 . 127–130 . 10.26613/jca/5.1.106 . 251470863 . free .
  10. News: Frazer . Jenni . Twitter trial: antisemitism campaigners crowdfunding £8k for their own defence . 4 June 2023 . . 17 February 2023 . 5 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230505025012/https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/twitter-trial-antisemitism-campaigners-crowdfunding-8k-for-their-own-defence/ . live .
  11. News: Bloch . Ben . Antisemitism activists crowdfunding to fight lawsuit after Twitter argument . 1 May 2023 . . 22 February 2023 . 1 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230501114718/https://www.thejc.com/news/news/antisemitism-activists-crowdfunding-to-fight-lawsuit-after-twitter-argument-4oz51W2hcnIsguPQYFaK3O . live .
  12. Web site: Wilson v Mendelsohn & Ors [2022] EWHC 715 (QB) ]. www.bailii.org/ . 1 May 2023 . 30 March 2022 . 5 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230405164403/https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2022/715.html . live .
  13. Wilson v Mendelsohn, Newbon and Cantor [2024] EWHC 821 (KB)
  14. News: 4 April 2023 . Inquest hears shocking testimony of Pete Newbon's final moments . .
  15. Web site: Pete Newbon Condolence Book . . 2022 . 4 June 2023 . 4 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404134502/https://bod.org.uk/pete-newbon/ . live .

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