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worldwide, giving him a perfect platform to promote the urgency of fighting antisemitism and ‘post-truth’.
I knew Richard for many years. In July 2017 his wife Carolyn and I organised a screening of Denial with a Q&A for the Rampton family and friends and JR subscribers. Eyes widened when he walked on stage after the film. Wilkinson had captured his mannerisms perfectly – although, as Richard told us, the two had not met. “When David Hare visited, he borrowed my glasses and hat, but Tom Wilkinson did not want to see me. He got all he needed from Hare’s writing.”
“What would you have done if Irving had asked you to represent him?” asked one questioner. “I would have pleaded conscientious objection,” replied Rampton. He refused to shake the hand Irving offered after the trial, telling him, “This is not a tennis match”.
At this time, Richard was phasing out his work at the bar and was pleased to accept JR’s invitation to be an honorary legal advisor. Those who met him at our annual parties for contributors were charmed by his warmth and wit. He loved to talk, but also to listen to life experiences and different views. He added sparkle to the occasion – as well as a generous number of bottles of fine Burgundy.
He also contributed to JR’s pages. As well as being interviewed by Judi Herman about his experiences with Irving (January 2017), he reviewed Keith Kahn-Harris’s book Denial: The Unspeakable Truth, suggesting that a more robust approach was needed to challenge antisemitism (January 2019). The same subject was tackled, in addition to the challenges of human rights legislation, in his discussion with former Supreme Court Judge John Dyson (January 2020).
RICHARD RAMPTON: 1941-2023 Janet Levin remembers the high-profile defamation lawyer – and JR’s former honorary legal advisor. Portrait Rob Greig
Richard Rampton was hailed as the leading defamation barrister of his generation. His knowledge of the detail of the law, his razor-sharp mind and prodigious debating skills were unequalled. He made headlines when he won the McLibel case for McDonalds against two young climate activists – the longest defamation case in UK history.
But of all the cases Rampton fought in over 50 years working from the leading chambers One Brick Court, the most important, for him, was representing Penguin Books and Deborah Lipstadt against the author and Holocaust denier David Irving. In 1996, Irving accused Lipstadt of libelling him in her book Denying the Holocaust. Rampton was asked to take the case by Anthony Julius, a solicitor who had worked with him for 40 years. “He knew I was a philosemite,” said Rampton in a 2017 JR interview.
Penguin commissioned expert witnesses, led by Cambridge historian Richard Evans, who spent two years examining Nazi documents. Rampton, the leading barrister in the defence team,
prepared himself by learning to read German and absorbing the history of the Third Reich. The team agreed that neither Lipstadt nor Auschwitz victims should give evidence, so denying Irving the opportunity to taunt them and promote his ideology. It was Julius who convinced the court to dispense with a jury on the grounds that it might be swayed by Irving ’s emotional rhetoric. The trial lasted from January to April 2000 and each day the largest courtroom was filled with Holocaust survivors. The policy of letting the facts speak for themselves ultimately triumphed.
As much as Rampton loved his time in court, he also loved fun – and games – with his family. In the summer, the Ramptons rented a large house, where their children and grandchildren joined them for two
“He refused to shake hands with Irving after the trial”
weeks. His wider family met without fail twice a year. In his son Patrick’s words, “Dad brought his laughter, fun and sparkle and, with them, wove a silken web of love that enveloped us all.”
In 2015, writer David Hare visited Rampton’s chambers to tell him the exciting news that he was writing a screenplay of the trial. Rampton was to be played by Tom Wilkinson, Lipstadt by Rachel Weisz and Irving by Timothy Spall.
Richard and Carolyn often visited my late husband Peter, lifting his spirits while his eyesight diminished. Classical music was important to both men and they shared the same views about our current politicians and laughed together at answers to their questions from Peter’s new best friend, Alexa.
The film, Denial, and its star-studded cast brought many invitations for Rampton to Q&As at screenings and talks at synagogues, schools and universities
So many benefitted from the huge Rampton generosity of heart and spirit. n
Janet Levin is the founder and former editor of JR.
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