A judge in Leeds has sentenced a 28-year-old man to several months in prison after he admitted to posting content on Facebook aimed at inciting racial hatred during recent unrest in the United Kingdom. This case is considered significant as it is believed to be the first involving social media posts related to the disturbances in England.
Jordan Parlour was convicted on Friday for writing posts that encouraged people to attack a hotel housing asylum seekers and refugees. According to Sky News, Parlour wrote in a Facebook post earlier in August: “Everyone and their dog should smash the [expletive] out of the Britannia Hotel” in Leeds.
In light of the repercussions of his post, the hotel’s manager was forced to put the building on lockdown the following day when violence in the city escalated, leading to at least one window being broken after stones were thrown at the building. Over the past week, far-right extremists in the UK have also targeted other hotels accommodating asylum seekers, fueled by false rumors about a Muslim immigrant allegedly responsible for stabbings in Southport that resulted in the deaths of three children. These rumors prompted violent far-right protests across the country.
Judge Guy Kearl KC of Leeds Crown Court explained to Parlour, “You went on social media to incite others to participate in the attacks on the hotel.” Kearl noted that the original post had received six likes but was shared to Parlour’s 1,500 Facebook friends, thus spreading further due to his lack of privacy settings.
Prior to Parlour’s sentencing, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the case serves as “a reminder to everyone that whether you are directly involved or indirectly implicated, you are responsible.” He added that both social media leaders and users should “be mindful of the foremost priority, which is to ensure that our communities are safe.”
Starmer also mentioned that the work of the criminal justice system in recent days has had a deterrent effect against further violence but warned that the UK must “remain vigilant this weekend.” Police in England reported on Friday that nearly 600 individuals have been arrested on suspicion of participating in the unrest that began on July 30, with around 150 charges filed. Courts across England have started imposing prison sentences on convicted participants in the disturbances, some facing several years in jail.
Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, criticized British police for arresting troublemakers and has also been in conflict with Starmer on X, where he accused the British leader of discriminatory “two-tier” policing while authorities attempt to manage the violent far-right uprisings.