Labour councillor cleared over cutting throats comment at rally

Glasgow Times

2 days ago

Ricky Jones, 58, faced trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court accused of the offence after he described demonstrators as 'disgusting Nazi fascists'.
A video showing Jones addressing crowds on Hoe Street in Walthamstow, east London, on August 7 last year went viral on social media after the protest, which had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau.
The now-suspended councillor, wearing a black polo top and surrounded by cheering supporters, said: 'They are disgusting Nazi fascists. We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all.'
He also drew his finger across his throat as he spoke to the crowd.
Jurors deliberated for just over half-an-hour and found him not guilty on Friday.
Jones, who wore a navy blue suit with a white shirt and pale pink tie in the dock, was seen mouthing 'thank-you' at the jurors.
Suspended Labour councillor Ricky Jones, hiding behind his hat in a car while leaving Snaresbrook Crown Court earlier in the week (Yui Mok/PA)
Family and supporters hugged each other before Jones, who declined to comment on the verdict, was driven out of the court grounds in a car.
The 58-year-old, who at the time was also employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) union, was arrested on August 8 last year and interviewed at Brixton police station that night.
Jones, who has been a borough councillor in Dartford, Kent, since 2019, was suspended by Labour the day after the incident.
It is understood that a party investigation remains ongoing and its outcome will decide what happens to his membership.
A spokesperson for the party said at the time that his behaviour 'was completely unacceptable and it will not be tolerated'.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and shadow home secretary Chris Philp both pointed to the idea of 'two-tier justice' in relation to the incident, with Mr Philp adding it 'is becoming increasingly alarming'.
Prosecutor Ben Holt previously told the court Jones, a father-of-four and a grandfather, used 'inflammatory, rabble-rousing language in the throng of a crowd described as a tinderbox'.
He told jurors Jones's speech was amplified through a microphone and speakers and took place 'in a setting where violence could readily have been anticipated'.
Giving evidence in his trial, Jones said his comment did not refer to far-right protesters involved in the riots at the time, but to those who had reportedly left National Front stickers on a train with razor blades hidden behind them.
Before he made the comment, jurors were shown video where he said to crowds: 'You've got women and children using these trains during the summer holidays.
'They don't give a shit about who they hurt.'
He told the court he was 'appalled' by political violence, adding: 'I've always believed the best way to make people realise who you are and what you are is to do it peacefully.'
Jones, who said he was on the left of the Labour Party, previously told jurors the riots had made him feel 'upset' and 'angry' and said he felt it was his 'duty' to attend counter-protests, despite being warned to stay away from such demonstrations by the Labour Party.