UK court jails man for stirring ‘racial hatred’ amid anti-immigrant riots

A judge in Leeds has sentenced a man to months in jail after the defendant admitted to publishing Facebook posts that “intended to stir racial hatred” during the riots that have gripped the United Kingdom over the past week.

In a case believed to be the first addressing social media posts linked to the unrest across England, Jordan Parlour, 28, was sentenced on Friday for writing posts encouraging people to attack a hotel housing asylum seekers and refugees.

According to UK broadcaster Sky News, in a Facebook post in early August, Parlour wrote: “Every man and his dog should smash [the] f**k out of Britannia hotel” in Leeds.

On Saturday, Britannia’s hotel manager was forced to put the building into lockdown due to the disorder in the city, and at least one window was broken after stones were thrown at it.

Over the past week, far-right activists in the UK have also attacked other hotels housing asylum seekers across the country, after false rumours accusing a Muslim immigrant of the Southport stabbings that killed three children triggered violent far-right protests across the country.

According to British news outlets, Judge Guy Kearl KC from the Leeds Crown Court, told Parlour on Friday, “You took to social media in order to encourage others towards participation in the attacks upon the hotel.”

Parlour was convicted earlier this week.

“The initial post received six likes. However, it was sent to your 1,500 Facebook friends and, because of your lack of privacy settings, will have been forwarded to friends of your friends,” Kearl said, adding that spreading the messages widely was Parlour’s intention.

Speaking before the sentencing of Parlour, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the case was “a reminder to everyone that whether you’re directly involved or whether you’re remotely involved, you’re culpable”.

Social media executives as well as users should be “mindful of the first priority, which is to ensure that our communities are safe and secure”, he added, hinting at stricter enforcement in future.

While Starmer noted that the work by the criminal justice system in recent days had acted as a deterrent to more violence, he warned that the UK will have to “stay on high alert going into this weekend”.

Police in England said on Friday that forces nationwide had now arrested nearly 600 people suspected of taking part in the unrest that began on July 30, and about 150 charges had been filed.

Courts across England have started sentencing convicted participants in the disorder, with some facing years in jail. About a dozen people were jailed on Thursday for their involvement.

Meanwhile, billionaire businessman Elon Musk, who owns the social media platform X, has criticised British police for arresting rioters.

Musk has also clashed with Starmer on X, accusing the British leader of discriminatory “two-tiered” policing as authorities scramble to clamp down on violent far-right riots.