Efraim Fishel Grinfeld, a Charedi man residing in London, has met a brick wall in his attempts to avoid being extradited to Israel to face charges over his participation in riots outside an electronics store in Yerushalayim.
A judge has denied his appeal against extradition, citing the numerous times he’s been involved in such rioting incidents.
Grinfeld fled Israel in December 2012 shortly before a verdict was scheduled to be delivered in his trial for his alleged participation in riots that took place between June and August 2008. These riots transpired outside a DVD and MP3 player store in Yerushalayim’s Geula neighborhood.
The extradition request, initiated by Israeli authorities in 2021, outlines the accusations against Grinfeld and his fellow protesters. According to the request, they obstructed the store’s entrance, engaged in confrontations with customers, store employees, and owners, vandalized property, and even threw dirty diapers at the store’s entrance. Grinfeld’s alleged actions included cutting off the store’s electricity to carry out acts of vandalism under the cover of darkness and physically assaulting employees who tried to intervene.
Grinfeld faced indictment in Israel on two charges involving seven offenses, including rioting, common assault, blackmail by threats, and aggravated wounding. Throughout his trial, Grinfeld maintained his innocence, denying any involvement in the violence and asserting that he was a victim of it instead. He claimed to have been saying Tehillim at the scene.
After leaving Israel with his wife and three children for Canada, Grinfeld arrived in London in 2016. He has since worked as an office assistant in a property business. His youngest child (he now has 8) is currently six months old.
In January, a judge at Westminster Magistrates Court ruled that the decision regarding Grinfeld’s extradition should be made by the Home Secretary. Despite acknowledging that Grinfeld had led a law-abiding life in the UK, the judge also considered him a “fugitive from justice.”
Grinfeld’s wife presented her concerns, explaining that relocating to Israel was not a viable option for the family. She said that sending her husband back to Israel would have a profound negative impact on their family dynamics, as their children were well-settled and content in school in the UK.
In his appeal, Grinfeld argued that the conditions of incarceration in Israel would violate his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights and that his extradition would disproportionately affect his family. While two High Court judges acknowledged that one count of common assault should not be considered for extradition, they ultimately dismissed his appeal on other grounds, citing his alleged participation in the riots as a significant factor in their decision.
