London, 3 October 2026 – The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has referred The Spectator to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) over a racist and discriminatory article that brands Palestinians “probably the worst migrant population on Earth” and uses statistics on 321 individuals to stigmatise an entire people.
The article, “Taking in more Palestinian refugees is a terrible idea”, published by David Shipley on 29 September 2026, describes Palestinians as “highly criminal and highly economically inactive.” Its only evidence is a single cohort: 321 stateless Palestinians from Lebanon granted residence in Denmark under special legislation in 1992. The article introduces those figures with the words “we know this because,” then claims that Palestinians, having been “ruled by Hamas for over two decades” and “fed endless anti-semitic and anti-Israeli propaganda,” are now “even worse”. The Danish cohort was granted residence in 1992 and never lived under Hamas rule. The claim has no evidential basis whatsoever.
The figures themselves have been misrepresented. The article states that over 63 per cent of the cohort had been convicted of at least one crime, and that 67 had been “jailed.” Of the 204 people with a recorded criminal disposition between 1992 and 2016, 37 received an unconditional custodial sentence, 30 a conditional sentence, and 137 a fine or other disposal. After ICJP complained, The Spectator amended the article and added a note that the figure of 67 included 30 conditional sentences. The article still relied on the 63 per cent figure to call Palestinians “highly criminal.” It does not disclose that two thirds of those cases ended in a fine or other disposal, or what conduct they involved.
The article is racist in both its premise and its method. It attributes criminality and undesirability to Palestinians as people, on the basis of their national origin, and it applies this method to no other nationality. No nationality could fairly be judged by it. 321 people cannot speak for more than 9 million Palestinian refugees worldwide, the product of decades of displacement and the continued denial of the right of return. That sample is negligible. It cannot support any conclusion about Palestinians as a group.
Nor would applying the method evenly cure the flaw. Entire national groups are not judged by the conduct of a few hundred individuals. Every population records some level of offending, and the United Kingdom has its own crime rate, yet no one would conclude from it that British nationals make undesirable migrants. The carrying out of offenses by a small proportion of any group is an ordinary social phenomenon, not a characteristic of a nationality.
Rhetoric of this kind has a history. Branding entire peoples as inherently criminal and undesirable has repeatedly laid the groundwork for their exclusion and persecution. Its publication by a mainstream title, presented as fact and backed by statistics, sets a dangerous precedent.
ICJP has now referred the matter to IPSO alleging breaches of Clause 1(i) and Clause 1(iv) of the Editors’ Code. Clause 1(i) requires the press to take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading, or distorted information. Clause 1(iv) requires the press, while free to editorialise and campaign, to distinguish clearly between comment, conjecture, and fact.
ICJP maintains that racial and national stereotypes cannot be insulated from scrutiny simply by presenting them as opinion where factual material is expressly deployed to substantiate them. The freedom to publish robust commentary on immigration policy does not remove the responsibility to ensure that any factual material relied upon in making the author’s point is not misleading or distorted.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
- The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians is an independent organisation of lawyers, politicians and academics who support the rights of Palestinians and aim to protect their rights through the law.
- The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) is the independent regulator of the UK newspaper, magazine and digital news industry.
- ICJP has referred the article to IPSO alleging breaches of Clause 1(i) and Clause 1(iv) of the Editors’ Code of Practice.
- Following ICJP’s initial complaint, The Spectator amended the article to clarify that the figure of 67 included 30 people who received conditional sentences.
- For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact the ICJP news desk at [email protected].
