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Tony GreensteinBritish left-wing activist and writer
Date of Birth: .
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Early Life and Activism
Growing up in Liverpool, Jeremy Greenstone was immersed in a Jewish household, with his father, Rabbi Solomon Greenstone, famously opposing Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists at the 1936 Battle of Cable Street. He pursued studies in mathematics and chemistry at Brighton Polytechnic Institute, becoming vice-president of the student union.
Greenstone's activism ignited in 1974, engaging in housing activism with Steve Bassam. He settled in abandoned hotels, eventually negotiating a residential license for Lansdowne Place. In 1980, he co-founded the Brighton Youth Unemployment Campaign and participated in anti-fascist groups.
As a member of the Brighton and Hove Anti-Fascist Committee and Anti-Fascist Action, Greenstone actively confronted far-right organizations such as the National Front and British Movement. In recent years, he remained vigilant against groups like the British National Party, English Defense League, and March for England (MfE).
Political and Community Involvement
In 2013, Greenstone became secretary of the Brighton and Hove Unemployed Centre in Hollingdean. He co-founded the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and led the Palestine Labour Movement Campaign in the 1980s. In 2005, he unsuccessfully ran for Parliament for the Green Socialist Alliance in the Brighton Pavilion constituency.
Greenstone joined the Labour Party after Jeremy Corbyn became its leader. However, he was suspended in 2016 and later expelled in 2018 following an investigation into allegations of antisemitism. He filed a libel suit against the Campaign Against Antisemitism in 2019, which was dismissed in 2020.
Controversies and Legal Battles
In December 2021, Greenstone accepted a two-year restraining order in exchange for the Crown Prosecution Service dropping two harassment charges against the Labour Party's Disputes Team. In September 2023, he was sentenced to a nine-month suspended prison sentence for criminal damage during a "Palestine Action" protest at the Elbit Systems UK arms factory in Shenstone.
