Latest news with #racialhatred
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Councillor ‘reported to police' for asking questions about migrants in hotel
A councillor was 'reported to the police' for asking questions about migrants in a hotel. John Edwards, of Sandhurst Town Council, questioned in April why 300 Afghans had been housed at a hotel in Bracknell, Berkshire, when 'many of our own veterans remain homeless'. It has since emerged that they were brought to Britain after a list of names of Afghans who had applied to come to the UK was leaked. A borough councillor said they had reported Cllr Edwards to the police for 'stirring up hate' with 'far-Right propaganda' about the hotel. Cllr Edwards, who also queried if the arrivals would affect locals on council housing waiting lists, is now also under investigation by Bracknell Forest council, the local borough council, for his comments. 'Stirring racial hatred' 'The council has fuelled a narrative that I'm spreading hate and misinformation – despite my claims being true,' he told the Daily Mail. 'Another councillor has said publicly they have reported me to the police for 'stirring racial hatred'. This would be a serious criminal offence. 'It's stressful, it's potentially very harmful to my reputation. It's a way to smear and silence me, and it has a chilling effect which amounts to, 'disagree with the council and you will be call a racist'. 'This was never about how I scrutinised a policy, but which policy I scrutinised. They've never corrected their own misleading claims on the impact of the policy on residents, or defended my right to scrutinise a policy as a councillor. 'Instead, they've escalated baseless complaints because they are either too timid to uphold democracy and free speech – or they're wilfully enabling the suppression of those rights by weaponising the complaints process.' 'Case to answer' Sanjay Prashar, Bracknell Forest Council's monitoring officer, said in a letter to Cllr Edwards that he had a 'case to answer'. A spokesman for the authority confirmed to the newspaper that it was investigating him. 'As the matter raised is under investigation, it would not be appropriate for the council to comment further at this time,' the spokesman said. But Thames Valley Police said it had no record of Cllr Edwards being reported to the force, and he said he has not heard from its officers about the matter. 'Undeniably in the public interest' The independent councillor, who is being supported by the Free Speech Union (FSU), was also accused of endangering the migrants by posting blurred pictures of the hotel's interior, which critics said would allow it to be identified. 'I included images of the accommodation because it is undeniably in the public interest for residents to understand whether the level of publicly funded support is proportionate and fair,' he said. Samuel Armstrong, of the FSU, said: 'Far from inciting racial hatred, his Facebook posts are genuinely some of the most anodyne messages I have ever seen. 'We now know there was an official cover-up over this scheme, yet when this elected councillor did his job and asked some basic questions about whether local people were going to be pushed down the housing list, he was placed under formal investigation. It is chilling.'
BBC News
03-07-2025
- BBC News
Portraits honouring Windrush generation vandalised in Brixton
A Windrush exhibition in south London aimed at honouring the history, legacy, and contributions of the Windrush Generation to British society has been vandalised. Portraits featured in the Windrush Untold Stories exhibition, currently installed in Windrush Square in Brixton, were damaged on of Windrush Square said the "deliberate vandalism" was "not only an attack on public art, but a blatant act of racial hatred directed at a community that has given so much to the life and spirit of the UK".The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment. The exhibition features 20 portraits and first-hand accounts of those who arrived in the UK from the Caribbean between the late 1940s and 1970s. Friends of Windrush Square said the vandalism had caused "considerable distress" to local residents, artists, volunteers, and project partners, "many of whom are directly connected to the Windrush legacy". Ros Griffiths, chair of Friends of Windrush Square, said: "This is a deeply upsetting and shocking act of racial disrespect. "Windrush Untold Stories was created to celebrate the contributions and resilience of the Windrush Generation, whose story is central to the fabric of British life. "That it should be targeted in such a hateful way is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges we face in building an inclusive and respectful society."
Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Engineer given half Lucy Connolly's sentence for near-identical tweet
A two-tier justice row has erupted after an engineer was jailed for half as long as Lucy Connolly over a near-identical tweet. Joseph Haythorne, 26, posted 'Go on Rotherham burn any hotels with those scruffy b------- in it' on Aug 4 2024, just as violence erupted in the South Yorkshire town. The engineer from Surrey, who admitted inciting racial hatred, was jailed for 15 months when he appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday. Critics branded the sentence a 'clear example of two-tier justice'. His jail term is less than half the 31 months handed down to Connolly - a mother of one who is married to a Conservative councillor. She was jailed in October last year, after posting online, on the day of the Southport murders, a message that read: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f---ing hotels full of the b------s for all I care, while you're at it take the treacherous government politicians with them.' The 42-year-old, who lost a child of her own in tragic circumstances, deleted the post fewer than four hours later, but not before it had been viewed 310,000 times. Her husband, Ray Connolly told the Telegraph: 'He can thank his lucky stars his partner isn't a Tory councillor.' Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary said: 'There are a lot of inconsistencies in sentencing. A rapist recently received only 28 months and Attorney General, Lord Hermer refused to allow that sentence to be reviewed. 'It cannot be right that Lucy Connolly got a longer sentence for a tweet than someone convicted of rape.' Speaking about the sentence handed to Haythorne, Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, said: 'Another ludicrous jail sentence. Fifteen months for a nasty offensive tweet lasting 17 minutes. 'On this basis, if justice is consistent [and] not two tier, then Bob Vylan could face being jailed for over five years for his vile singing at Glastonbury.' Lord Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, said: 'This is not a good use of valuable prison spaces that should be kept for thieves, muggers, stabbers and drug dealers. 'How can it be right that a Labour MP who repeatedly punched a constituent, knocking him to the ground, received a suspended sentence, but a 26 year-old should be jailed for 15 months for one ill-advised tweet? 'It's a clear example of two-tier justice and risks undermining public confidence in our criminal justice system.' Haythorne's tweet was posted just an hour and a half before violence erupted outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham. More than 60 police officers were hurt and rioters also set fire to a bin and pushed it towards the hotel which had more than 250 people inside. Sheffield Crown Court heard that his post, from an anonymous account, was viewed by 1,100 people in 17 minutes before he deleted it. He subsequently handed himself into police. Prosecutors said the case did have some similarities with that of Connolly with the judge, Jeremy Richardson KC described the comment as 'vile'. But he chose to significantly reduce his sentence after hearing Haythorne suffered from clinical depression. He also gave him credit for his guilty plea and other personal mitigation. The judge said: 'It gives me no pleasure whatsoever in sending someone like you to prison because you have many positive attributes in life. 'But unfortunately, in that whole episode in August of last year, whilst there were some very bad people conducting themselves very badly, there were also a number of otherwise perfectly good people who did something very bad, and you are in that category.' In May, Connolly asked the Court of Appeal to reduce her sentence but her application was refused with three judges saying they did not believe 31 months was excessive. Her husband, who has been looking after their 12-year-old daughter, described the decision as 'shocking and unfair' and said it was an example of 'two-tier justice'. He said: 'Lucy got more time in jail for one tweet than some paedophiles and domestic abusers get. I think the system wanted to make an example of Lucy so other people would be scared to say things about immigration. This is not the British way.'
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Man jailed for 'burn down hotels' online post during Manvers riot
A man who called for hotels housing asylum seekers to be burned down during unrest at an anti-immigration demonstration has been Crown Court heard how Joseph Haythorne wrote on X on 4 August just as a protest outside the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, began to turn post, which was viewed by 1,100 people, said: "Go on Rotherham, burn any hotels [with asylum seekers]", before it was deleted 17 minutes Wednesday, Haythorne, 26, an air conditioning engineer from Ashford, Surrey, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment after admitting publishing material intended to stir up racial hatred at a previous hearing. This was the first case of its kind in relation to the Manvers riot brought before the courts in post was sent from an anonymised account and included a link to a post - which was later deleted - by activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy court heard the defendant had read inaccurate reports on social media about the Southport murders which then inflamed him to Brasoveanu, mitigating, said her client accepted he had made a "wrong connection" between the attack and "immigration in general"."He realised within that short lapse of time how wrong, damaging and bad those words were," Ms Brasoveanu told the court."His regret and remorse are echoed by the fact that he's pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity."Ms Brasoveanu said Haythorne suffered with his mental health, which had affected his reaction to posts about the Southport attacks. 'Sensitive and volatile time' The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, accepted the defendant's vulnerabilities had had an impact but told him: "You knew what you were doing and you knew it was wrong."He said the facts of the case were so serious, only an immediate custodial sentence was justified."What you encouraged is exactly what happened: The hotel was the subject of a fire attack approximately an hour-and-a-half after you placed the post online," he said."It was a particular sensitive and volatile time and you full well knew that a hotel was the subject matter of a protest that afternoon." Haythorne's sentencing hearing had previously been delayed due to the Crown Prosecution Service not seeking the necessary permission from the Attorney General to bring the original conviction was quashed and the process started again with the case brought back for sentencing on Wednesday following Haythorne's renewed guilty Richardson stated that due to "the conflicting issues in this case", he would explain the full reasons for the sentence during a hearing next week, but added that he did not believe it was fair to make the defendant wait any longer to learn what it would be. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Cannabis-addicted Hamas supporter is jailed for saying Jews should be burnt less than a month after October 7 attacks that killed more than 1,000 Israelis
A Hamas supporter with a £600 a week cannabis habit has been jailed for nearly six years after he called for Jews to be 'burnt alive'. Zakir Hussain, 29, took to social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, to write a spate of anti-semitic posts over the three-month period. The posts followed the rise in tensions between Israel and Palestine which has seen significant protesting in London. Hussain first posted on X on 3 November 2023, less than a month after the 7 October attack by Hamas which saw over 1,000 Israelis killed. He said: 'Hezbullah come quick finish them like rodents.' Later that month Hussain said '7 October was a beautiful day, Jews stop hiding.' On 25 December 2023, he wrote: 'October 7 was a beautiful day', 'In the UK, we are hunting them for fun' and 'Go on Hamas, finish them and maybe we can find the beheaded urine babies.' The posting continued into January 2024, where Hussain said on 5 January: 'I'm in London, any Jew out there come out and stand up for your religion.' Four days later he posted: 'Wish it was more in that festival slaughter them IDK terrorists, burn them alive' in reference to the 7 October attack. 'He also wrote 'Long live Hamas, Hezbollah' and 'Hamas, Houthi, Hezbollah finish these little rats.' His final post came on 10 January when he said: 'Burn them alive, no religion can abuse children the way they do.' Hussain admitted four counts of expressing support for a proscribed organisation and seven counts of stirring up racial hatred between 3 November 2023 and 10 January 2024. Judge Anthony Leonard, KC said: 'On 14 September 2023, you created an account on your social media platform now known as X on a username which could not be connected to you but which included a 9/11 reference.' The judge said a pre-sentence report revealed Hussain was spending £600 a week on cannabis at the time of the offences. Hussain refused to give his PIN to police but once they got into his phone, they found still images 'indicative of a mindset that was supportive of Hamas.' 'You are not being punished for your sympathy but for what your posts may have garnered support for a proscribed organisation,' the judge continued. Hussain believed 9/11 was a planned attack and that the US government knew about and allowed it to happen, the court heard. Judge Leonard told Hussain he had 'focused on hate speech instead of educating yourself.' Hussain, who had a previous conviction for robbery in 2012, was jailed for five years and eight months, with an extended period on licence of three years. Wearing a green t-shirt, he waved to the public gallery as he was led to the cells. Hussain, of no fixed address, admitted four counts of expressing support for a proscribed organisation and seven counts of stirring up racial hatred between 3 November 2023 and 10 January 2024.
