Labour councillor Ricky Jones tells jury he 'wasn't thinking' and was 'upset and overwhelmed' at time he urged crowd to 'cut the throats' of far-right Southport protesters

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

Labour councillor Ricky Jones told a jury he 'wasn't thinking' when he told the crowd to 'cut [the] throats' of far-right protesters at an anti-racism protest.
Jones, 58, who is on trial for encouraging violent disorder, attended a counter-demonstration on Hoe Street, Walthamstow on August 7, 2024, in response to anti-migrant rallies sparked by the murders of three young girls in Southport last year.
Ellie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine were killed by Axel Rudakubana, who also injured several children and adults at a Taylor Swift themed dance class on July 29, 2024.
The incident sparked riots nationwide after misinformation spread online that killer, Rudakubana, was a Muslim asylum seeker who had recently arrived in Britain on a small boat.
Last August, a far-right march was scheduled to happen outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau, and as a response, a counter demonstration had been organised nearby, Snaresbrook Crown Court was told.
No far right demonstrators turned up to the immigration centre, but, the counter demonstration went ahead.
That day, wearing a black polo top and surrounded by cheering supporters, the councillor said: 'You've got women and children using these trains during the summer holidays. They don't give a s*** about who they hurt.
'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.
After videos of the alleged incident circulated online, the councillor, who had represented Dartford since 2019, was suspended. He was also arrested and interviewed at Brixton Police Station on August 8.
Jones denies the charge of encouraging violence, maintaining he said the remarks in the 'heat of the moment' and that they were not intended to be 'taken literally'.
He told the court his comment did not refer to far-right protesters involved in riots at the time, but to those who had reportedly left National Front stickers on a train with razor blades hidden behind them.
Jones, who at the time worked as an official for the Transport Salaried Staff's Association (TSSA) union, later sent an edited version of his speech video to union members, the court heard.
Asked by his defence barrister, Hossein Zahir KC, why he edited the video, Jones replied: 'When I had time to view the footage after the demonstration, I was shocked at what I had actually said.
'I was horrified. Under no circumstances did I want to portray that to anybody, so I edited that last bit out.'
The unedited video was eventually posted on social media platform X, where it attracted millions of views, the trial heard.
Jones told jurors he felt 'very emotional and very upset' after receiving pictures, the day before the rally, of National Front stickers that had been left on a train, which had razor blades hidden behind them.
He had also received reports from union members that more razor blades had been found stuck between seats, Jones added.
'I was very concerned about what had happened on the train. I was thinking, this [the speech] is a good opportunity to raise what happened.'
The father-of-four described the mood in the crowd at the time as 'happy and joyful', adding: 'There clearly wasn't any upset or anger from any people in that scene, because they clearly knew it was about what happened on the train.'
Prosecutor Ben Holt, cross-examining, told the defendant: 'Your words about slitting people's throats were not cheerful or happy.'
Jones replied: 'I totally agree, I'm ashamed.'
The defendant however denied intending to encourage violence towards far-right protesters.
'What violence could have anyone caused to those people in the train?' Jones said. 'It was nonsensical - I didn't believe there was a risk.'
Jones, of Dartford, denies one count of encouraging violent disorder.