Richard Medhurst

Richard Medhurst
Medhurst speaking on Israeli action in the Gaza Strip in June 2024
Born
Richard Thomas Medhurst

(1992-08-20) 20 August 1992 (age 34)
Damascus, Syria
Occupations
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2006–present
Subscribers411 thousand
Views62 million
Last updated: 24 October 2026

Richard Thomas Medhurst (born 20 August 1992) is a British activist, 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, 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.[unreliable source?]

Career

In 2006, Medhurst created his eponymous YouTube channel. Since 2019, he has uploaded videos covering a myriad of topics, initially centring mostly on United States politics but later shifting to international affairs, with a particular focus on the Middle East and Muslim world as a whole.[citation needed] In 2022, he received the Silver Playbutton after reaching 100k subscribers on the platform.[non-primary source needed] Medhurst has said he 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 second 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. ref>[independent source needed] YouTube has not commented on the matter publicly.[citation needed]

Outside of YouTube, Medhurst writes for Al Mayadeen, Press TV, and RT. He has written once for The New Arab and appeared on Al Jazeera, and FOX News From 2020 to 2022, Medhurst hosted his own show The Communiqué with Richard Medhurst on PressTV.

Medhurst has regularly visited Iran, including attending the May 2024 funeral of President Ebrahim Raisi (whose death in a helicopter crash he suggested may have been perpetrated by Israel), falsely report in the funeral was attended by Vladimir Putin, which he later retracted.

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 alleged he was removed from a plane by five plainclothes officers and one wearing tactical gear before being moved to a police station for interrogation. He said 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. 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.”

Medhurst was arrested again on 3 February 2025, this time by Austrian authorities who raided his home and accused him of affiliations with Hamas. His studio was searched extensively and his electronic devices were seized. The NUJ and IFJ again sharply criticised his arrest, with the NUJ saying, "The latest investigation into Richard Medhurst will no doubt leave journalists worried about approaches being adopted by international governments. We need greater transparency from both the British and Austrian police and call once more, for the proportionate use of police powers. No journalist at home or abroad should fear detention or their ability to protect sources simply for carrying out their duties." The IFJ meanwhile opined that, “The arrest of Richard Medhurst in Austria is an alarming and unacceptable attack on press freedom. This detention not only violates Medhurst's fundamental rights as a journalist but also undermines the core principles of democracy. We stand in unwavering solidarity with Richard and all journalists who face persecution for doing their job."

Views

The International Federation of Journalists described Medhurst as pro-Palestine. The Times of Israel described him as “anti-Israel”. That newspaper and Jewish News said that “has voiced support for Hamas“ during the Gaza war and has “spread conspiracy theories” about the October 7 attacks, including by denying any sexual and gender-based violence during them, and “asserting that the victims of the massacre were killed by the IDF, not by Hamas.”

The Times of Israel, Fathom Journal and the think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies have accused him of antisemitism, the Times saying he “regularly casts doubt on the connection between Jews and the Land of Israel by means of racist innuendo about Ashkenazi surnames and misleading claims about modern Hebrew” and Fathom attributing various antisemitic conspiracy theories to him. He has described Israeli claims about antisemitism as “bogus”.

Jewish News described him as “pro-Iran”. During April 2024 Iranian strikes on Israel, he posted a selfie in front of Iranian missiles calling Iran the “anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist capital of the world”, adding ”Long live the resistance.”

He has been described by critics - such as the journalist Paul Mason, the Trotskyist group Alliance for Workers' Liberty, the Rand Corporation, and the Polish anti-disinformation website fakenews.pl - 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.

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.[non-primary source needed]

Throughout his career, Medhurst has castigated western policy towards Syria.[unreliable source?] In the wake of the 2024 fall of the Assad regime, he said that the new government under Ahmed al-Sharaa is subservient to the interests of Israel and al-Qaeda.[independent source needed]

Medhurst has advocated for the implementation of progressive economic policies such as universal healthcare in the U.S.[non-primary source needed]

References

  1. ↑ Medhurst, Richard Thomas. "Biography". richardmedhurst.com. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  2. ↑ Thomas Medhurst, Richard [@richitmedhurst] (21 August 2020). "It's still my birthday for like another 20 mins somewhere in the pacific so just wanted to thank you all for the lovely bday wishes, gifts and kind words 🙏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Dayan, Linda (4 March 2026). "Viral Disinformation: AI-Generated Video of Iranian Missiles Raining on Tel Aviv Reaches Tens of Millions". Haaretz. Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Anti-Israel commentator Richard Medhurst detained at Heathrow Airport under UK's Terrorism Act". Times of Israel. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  5. ↑ Budin, Christoph (8 February 2025). "Terror raid against son of Nobel Prize winner". Kronen Zeitung. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "British journalist could face years in prison for refusing to hand over his passwords to the police". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 2 January 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  7. ↑ "Undergraduate Faculty". American Military University. Archived from the original on 8 May 2005. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  8. 1 2 Haiphong, Danny (1 July 2020). "Syria, Corporate Media Lies, and the True Face of Imperialism: An Interview with Richard Medhurst". Black Agenda Report. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  9. ↑ Thomas Medhurst, Richard (27 April 2024). THANK YOU FOR 100,000+ SUBSCRIBERS!. Retrieved 30 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ Thomas Medhurst, Richard (5 July 2020). URGENT: YouTube Demonetized Me. Retrieved 30 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ Thomas Medhurst, Richard (19 October 2023). YouTube Deleted My Reports on Gaza-Israel, Then Demonetized My Channel. Retrieved 30 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Harpin, Lee (21 August 2024). "Pro-Iranian activist detained at Heathrow on claims of support for 'a proscribed organisation'". Jewish News. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  13. ↑ Medhurst, Richard Thomas (19 July 2024). "Israel's team lineup is full of soldier-footballers. FIFA's failure to ban it makes it complicit in genocide". The New Arab. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  14. ↑ Clemons, Steve (8 September 2024). Are restrictions on pro-Palestine speech 'the new McCarthyism?'. Retrieved 30 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ FOX News (14 April 2024). Richard Medhurst FOX News Interview on Iran and Israel. Retrieved 30 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  16. ↑ Medhurst, Richard Thomas. "The Communiqué with Richard Medhurst". PressTV. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  17. ↑ Starr, Michael (20 May 2024). "Anti-Israel activists blame Israel for death of Iranian president". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  18. ↑ Ponsford, Dominic (4 September 2024). "UK journalist's detention for nearly 24 hours under terror law condemned". Press Gazette. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  19. ↑ Bir, Burik (27 August 2024). "'Trying to make an example out of me': British journalist fears UK using his arrest to silence dissent". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  20. ↑ Stanistreet, Michelle; Bellanger, Anthony (3 September 2024). "NUJ and IFJ statement on arrest of Richard Medhurst". National Union of Journalists. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  21. 1 2 3 The New Arab Staff. "Journalist unions 'concerned' over Richard Medhurst arrest in UK". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 21 June 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  22. ↑ Davison, Laura; Bellanger, Anthony (13 February 2025). "Targeting of journalists of grave concern, say NUJ and IFJ". National Union of Journalists. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  23. ↑ Cohen, Ben (30 August 2024). "The Nazification of anti-Zionism". FDD. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  24. 1 2 Harpin, Lee (10 October 2024). "Anger as notorious anti-Israel director made a patron of top TV documentary body". Jewish News. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  25. ↑ Hessenauer, Jonas (16 November 2023). "The 'Ben Gurion Canal': A new crazy anti-Israeli conspiracy theory is doing great business on the internet while the social media platforms do nothing". Fathom. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  26. ↑ Starr, Michael (14 April 2024). "Pro-Palestine activists praise Iran's attack online". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  27. ↑ "Making sure you're not a bot!". Making sure you're not a bot!. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  28. ↑ Treyger, Elina; Williams, Heather J.; Matthews, Luke J.; Holynska, Khrystyna; Matveyenko, Joseph; Cunningham, Daniel; Goode, Thomas; Migacheva, Katya (17 January 2025). "The Denazify Lie: Russia's Use of Extremist Narratives Against Ukraine". RAND Corporation. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  29. ↑ Wojcieszko, Sebastian (9 August 2024). "The myth of the Great Patriotic War as a justification for the invasion of Ukraine. Part 4 —Justification of the Aggression Against Ukraine". Fakenews.pl. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  30. ↑ Thomas Medhurst, Richard (20 March 2024). You Can't Be Christian and Support Israel (Zionism Exposed). Retrieved 30 March 2025 – via YouTube.
  31. ↑ Thomas Medhurst, Richard [@richitmedhurst] (11 December 2024). "I was born and baptized in Syria. As a Christian and a journalist I have more interest than most in seeing Syria respect freedom of religion and freedom of the press. Syria is secular. And those who celebrate it being turned into an Islamic Caliphate run by Al Qaeda, Israel and NATO are delusional or Zionists and imperialists" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  32. ↑ Thomas Medhurst, Richard (14 September 2019). Ben Shapiro: American Healthcare Is Great if You Ignore All the Death. Retrieved 30 March 2025 – via YouTube.