Two men, Jordan Parlour and Tyler Kay, were on Friday sentenced to a combined total of five years in prison for their roles in inciting racial hatred through Facebook posts during the UK riots.
This case shows the severe legal repercussions of using social media to propagate hate speech and incite violence, particularly against vulnerable groups such as refugees and asylum seekers.
Jordan Parlour, a 28-year-old from Brooklands Close, Leeds, was sentenced to 20 months at Leeds Crown Court. His charges stemmed from posts he made on Facebook targeting the Britannia Hotel in Seacroft, which houses refugees and asylum seekers.
According to the court, Parlour's messages were widely circulated, with the judge, Recorder of Leeds Judge Guy Kearl KC, stating that this was "plainly your intention." Parlour admitted that his posts were written out of "anger and frustration," believing that asylum seekers were exploiting taxpayers' money and "raping our kids."
He acknowledged how "stupid" he had been, but the damage was already done. His initial post received six likes or thumbs up, while another post about refugees garnered a single thumbs up and a comment from another user expressing a sense of futility and minority status.
Tyler Kay, a company director, received a 38-month sentence at Northampton Crown Court. Kay had reposted vile anti-immigrant comments originally posted by the wife of a Tory councillor and boasted online that he would "categorically" not be arrested.
Prosecuting Counsel Matthew Donkin highlighted that Kay also reposted a screenshot of a message inciting action against a named immigration solicitor in Northampton and showed a desire to be involved in organized protests in the town.
The court heard that staff members at the Britannia Hotel noted stones being thrown and windows damaged between August 2 and August 3, further illustrating the real-world impact of these online incitements.
The events leading up to these sentences included a series of public disorders following the tragic events in Southport on July 29th. On July 30th, there was an episode of public disorder in Southport itself, which spread on July 31st to Manchester, Hartlepool, Aldershot, and London. These incidents highlight the broader societal issue of online hate speech and its tangible effects on community safety and cohesion.
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