Chelsea Fan Jailed for Hate Tweets Targeting Rival Supporters
Nathan Blagg, 21, from Retford, Nottinghamshire, was slammed with an eight-week jail sentence at Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday, 5 November. He pled guilty to seven counts of sending offensive, indecent, and menacing messages via public communication networks.
Offensive Tweets Spark Police Action
The trouble began when a West Bromwich Albion supporter spotted hateful tweets from Blagg’s Twitter account “NB__1905” after the Chelsea vs West Brom match on 26 September 2020. Chelsea FC investigated and uncovered more offensive and anti-Semitic posts from the account, prompting them to alert the Metropolitan Police.
Blagg, a Chelsea season ticket holder, had set his Twitter profile to public, allowing anyone to view his abusive messages. Police found a string of vile tweets posted ahead of Chelsea’s clashes with Tottenham Hotspur on 29 November 2020 and 4 February 2021. Notably, the day before one Spurs game, Blagg brazenly tweeted: “for 48 hours I can tweet as much anti-Semitism as I like without being told off.”
Zero Tolerance for Hate Speech in Football
Blagg was arrested at his home on 8 February and charged by post in September. Detective Constable Suzanne Smith, who led the investigation, blasted Blagg’s actions:
“Nathan Blagg thought he could post grossly offensive and abusive messages about other football fans and players with impunity. But this investigation demonstrates that nobody can post anti-Semitic or hateful abuse on social media without consequences.
Offensive language and abuse has no place within football, or indeed in society, and those who engage in such behaviour should be under no illusion that they are committing a crime. The consequences of that crime were clearly demonstrated today.”
“Football fans and players are fed up with this kind of toxic discourse surrounding the game on social media and we will use all the policing powers available to us to stop it from happening.
I would like to thank Chelsea FC for bringing the results of their initial investigation to our attention. I would encourage anyone to report social media abuse to police by calling 101 or tweeting @MetCC.”
This case sends a sharp warning: hate speech online, especially in football, will not be tolerated. The Met is cracking down hard to keep social media free from hate.
