A 53-year-old woman from Church Lawton in Cheshire, United Kingdom, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for posting a comment on Facebook that encouraged the destruction of mosques, implying they should be “blown up with the adults inside.” Julie Sweeney, who pleaded guilty, was convicted on Wednesday for sending communications in a Facebook group that “threaten death or serious harm.”
Prosecutor Sarah Badrawy informed the court that one of the 5,100 members of the group became “concerned” about several comments made on the page following riots that erupted after a stabbing involving three girls in Southport on July 29. Sweeney reacted to a Facebook picture showing white and Asian individuals participating in the cleanup after the violent disturbances in Southport by writing, “It is absolutely unreasonable. Do not protect the mosques. Blow up the mosque with the adults inside.”
John Keane, representing Sweeney, stated, “This was a single comment on a singular day. She lives a quiet and protected life in Cheshire and has not had issues with the law in her long life. She has been the primary caregiver for her husband since 2015.”
The police emphasized that they “will not tolerate this kind of behavior.” “As this case demonstrates, there is nowhere to hide. If you choose to engage in this behavior… we will find you, and you will be held accountable,” said Cheshire Police in a statement.
This trial follows several days of violent disturbances across towns and villages in England and Northern Ireland. The riots began after online activists suggested that the suspect in the stabbing was a Muslim asylum seeker, which heightened anger among some who falsely believe that immigration is the cause of most deadly crimes.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the former Director of Public Prosecutions, has promised to deliver swift justice to deter further violence. Police have warned that arrests are likely to continue for several months. Some sentences have been broadcast on television, which is a rarity in the UK, while police have published names and images of those convicted to make the judicial response more visible.