This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjeykklwn7vo
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Labour councillor Ricky Jones cleared of encouraging violent behaviour | Labour councillor Ricky Jones cleared of encouraging violent behaviour |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The jury took less than an hour to find Ricky Jones not guilty | The jury took less than an hour to find Ricky Jones not guilty |
| A Labour councillor who called for far-right protesters' throats to be cut at an anti-racism rally has been found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder. | A Labour councillor who called for far-right protesters' throats to be cut at an anti-racism rally has been found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder. |
| Ricky Jones, 58, has been on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court after he called demonstrators "disgusting Nazi fascists" and said "we need to get rid of them all" while addressing a crowd in Walthamstow on 7 August last year. | Ricky Jones, 58, has been on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court after he called demonstrators "disgusting Nazi fascists" and said "we need to get rid of them all" while addressing a crowd in Walthamstow on 7 August last year. |
| Mr Jones told police his remarks, captured on video, were "ill-advised" and not intended to incite or encourage violence. | Mr Jones told police his remarks, captured on video, were "ill-advised" and not intended to incite or encourage violence. |
| The Dartford councillor, who has since been suspended by the Labour Party, had denied the charge. | The Dartford councillor, who has since been suspended by the Labour Party, had denied the charge. |
| A video showing Mr Jones addressing crowds in Walthamstow last year went viral on social media after the protest, which had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau. | A video showing Mr Jones addressing crowds in Walthamstow last year went viral on social media after the protest, which had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau. |
| He also drew his finger across his throat as he spoke to the crowd. | He also drew his finger across his throat as he spoke to the crowd. |
| Mr Jones was arrested the day after making the comments and told the court he felt it was his "duty" to attend counter-protests. | Mr Jones was arrested the day after making the comments and told the court he felt it was his "duty" to attend counter-protests. |
| Mr Jones leaving court after an earlier hearing in the trial | |
| Jurors deliberated for just over half an hour before finding him not guilty on Friday. | Jurors deliberated for just over half an hour before finding him not guilty on Friday. |
| At the time of the incident, Mr Jones was employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) union. | At the time of the incident, Mr Jones was employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) union. |
| He has been a borough councillor since 2019 but was suspended by the Labour Party on 8 August last year. | He has been a borough councillor since 2019 but was suspended by the Labour Party on 8 August last year. |
| Prosecutor Ben Holt previously told the court Mr Jones used "inflammatory, rabble-rousing language in the throng of a crowd described as a tinderbox". | |
| He told jurors Mr Jones's speech was amplified through a microphone and speakers and took place "in a setting where violence could readily have been anticipated". | |
| Giving evidence in his trial, Mr Jones said his comment did not refer to far-right protesters involved in the riots at the time, but to those who had reportedly left National Front stickers on a train with razor blades hidden behind them. | |
| Before he made the comment, jurors were shown video where he said to crowds: "You've got women and children using these trains during the summer holidays. | |
| "They don't [care] who they hurt." | |
| He told the court he was "appalled" by political violence, adding: "I've always believed the best way to make people realise who you are and what you are is to do it peacefully." | |
| MP James Cleverly, the shadow secretary for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said on social media platform X that the verdict was "unacceptable". | |
| "Perverse decisions like this are adding to the anger that people feel and amplifying the belief that there isn't a dispassionate criminal justice system," he said. | |
| Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. | Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. |