Richard Medhurst

Richard Thomas Medhurst (born 20 August 1992) is a British independent journalist and left-wing political commentator. Commenting largely on the Middle East, Medhurst was "the first reporter arrested and under investigation under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000".

Early life and education Richard Medhurst was born in Damascus, Syria, on 20 August 1992 to a Syrian mother and a British father. Both of his parents served as United Nations Peacekeepers, partaking in missions in Angola, Lebanon, Syria, India, and Kashmir. His father, Paul Medhurst, is a doctor of political science, published author and a retired professor who formerly taught at American Military University. He has stated that due to his parents' work, he was moved around often and that his entire secondary school education was completed in French. Medhurst has been demonetised on two different occasions, once in July 2020 with the website citing reused content and again in October 2023 in the early stages of the Gaza war for claimed non-compliance with the site's Partner Programme Policies. In both instances, Medhurst denounced YouTube's actions, claiming discrimination and the unjust theft of his primary source of income based on his unfavourable coverage of Israel. Following his latest demonetisation, Medhurst moved much of his coverage to Rumble, remaining on YouTube only to discuss topics he is not concerned will garner retaliation from the platform. YouTube has not commented on the matter publicly.

Outside of YouTube, Medhurst has written for multiple outlets including Al Mayadeen, The New Arab and RT. He has appeared on Al Jazeera, FOX News and LBC.

Medhurst has covered Western foreign policy on the Middle East and has spoken out against Israel's actions in the Gaza war. The International Federation of Journalists described Medhurst as pro-Palestine.

Medhurst has been described by critics as pro-Russian and pro-Assad. He criticized Rashida Tlaib for condemning Bashar Al-Assad's actions in the Syrian civil war, and "welcomed" the official Syrian government statement that Assad had won the 2021 Syrian presidential election, which was considered illegitimate by the international community.

Personal life Medhurst is a Syrian Christian. He is a staunch critic of the Israeli government as well as the pro-Israel lobby in the U.K and in the U.S, lambasting Zionism as being antithetical to true Christianity.

Throughout his career, Medhurst has castigated western policy towards Syria.

Medhurst has advocated for the implementation of progressive economic policies such as universal healthcare in the U.S.

Arrests On 15 August 2024, Medhurst was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom, under the Section 12 of the U.K's Terrorism Act 2000. The section, “makes it an offense to invite support for a proscribed organization; express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organization and in doing so is reckless as to whether a person to whom the expression is directed will be encouraged to support a proscribed organization; or to arrange, manage or assist in arranging or managing a meeting in support of a proscribed organization...” Medhurst was removed from a plane by five plainclothes officers and one wearing tactical gear before being moved to a police station for interrogation. He was not allowed to contact his family during his incarceration. Medhurst said of the incident, “I reject what the police said about me and their claims. I’m not engaged in terrorism. That’s really ridiculous.”​​​​​​​ Medhurst's arrest was condemned by the National Union of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists in a joint-statement, with the organisations remarking, “Richard Medhurst’s arrest and detention for almost 24 hours using terrorism legislation is deeply concerning and will likely have a chilling effect on journalists in the UK and worldwide, in fear of arrest by UK authorities simply for carrying out their work. Both the NUJ and IFJ are shocked at the increased use of terrorism legislation by the British police in this manner. Journalism is not a crime. Powers contained in anti-terror legislation must be deployed proportionately – not wielded against journalists in ways that inevitably stifle press freedom. We will continue to monitor this case and urge the authorities to provide urgent clarity as to the nature of this ongoing investigation.”