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KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — More than a dozen people were jailed yesterday for inciting unrest on social media, following the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport, England last month.
AFP reported that a judge in Leeds, northern England, jailed a 28-year-old man for 20 months after he admitted publishing Facebook posts that met the criminal threshold for stirring racial hatred.
BBC reported that Jordan Parlour, from Seacroft, Leeds, became the first person to be jailed for inciting racial hatred during the disorder. He had used Facebook to call for an attack on a hotel housing refugees and asylum seekers. At the time, he was at home with a broken heel, and his posts were reported to the police.
Over in Northampton, central England, AFP said a judge jailed 26-year-old Tyler Kay for 38 months after he called on social media for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set alight.
According to BBC, the father of three pleaded guilty at the Northampton Crown Court. He had denied the intention to incite racial hatred but conceded that “in hindsight”, some of his posts “made (him) look like an idiot”.
In the report, judge Adrienne Lucking said she was “completely sure” he knew racial hatred would be “stirred up” after writing “utterly repulsive, racist and shocking posts that have no place in civilised society”.
So far, 118 people have now been jailed for their involvement in one of the worst unrest the UK has seen in over a decade.
- Richard Williams, 34: First person from Wales convicted and sentenced for offences related to the disorder. He posted about participating in a riot and shared a derogatory meme about migrants in a local Facebook group dedicated to protests.
- Jordan Plain, 30: Sentenced to eight months in prison at Leeds Crown Court for racially-aggravated harassment. He was filmed making racist gestures and comments.
- Sameer Ali, 21: Jailed for 20 months for affray, linked to an anti-immigration protest and counter-demonstration in Leeds.
- Adnan Ghafoor, 31: Received two and a half years sentence for affray, related to the same Leeds protest, and for breaching a suspended sentence for driving offences.
- Ricky Jones: Suspended Labour councillor charged with encouraging violent disorder at a London counter-protest. He was filmed speaking to a crowd in Walthamstow, where he reportedly suggested that members of the far-right should have their throats cut.
- Leanne Hodgson, 43: Jailed for two and a half years for pushing industrial bins at police during unrest in Sunderland.
- Stacey Vint, 40: Sentenced to 20 months in prison for pushing a burning wheelie bin into police officers in Middlesbrough.
According to BBC, the National Police Chief’s Council said some 741 people have now been arrested, of which 302 have been charged. The police also announced that more than 6,000 officers trained in public order would be on duty this weekend.