A 31-year-old man, Billy Thompson, has been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for a comment he made on Facebook related to the ongoing civil unrest in the UK. Thompson was found guilty of encouraging violence after he replied to a post about police efforts to prevent protests from becoming violent.
The comment, which read “Filthy ba**ards,” was accompanied by emojis depicting an ethnic minority person and a gun. The post in question was about the police issuing a dispersal order in an attempt to curb the growing unrest.
Thompson’s lawyer argued that the comment was made as part of an online conversation with a family member and was not intended to incite violence. However, the court did not accept this defence.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Temperley emphasized the need for a strong response given the current climate of civil unrest across the country. The judge noted that while a community order might typically be the starting point for such an offence, the severity of the situation required a harsher penalty.
“It may be right that the starting point [sentence] is a community order for this offence, but I am afraid this has to be viewed within the context of the current civil unrest up and down the country,” Judge Temperley stated.
Thompson’s case highlights the heightened scrutiny and legal consequences surrounding online behaviour during periods of public disorder. The sentence serves as a warning that authorities are taking a zero-tolerance approach to any actions, including social media activity, that could be seen as contributing to the ongoing violence.
Thompson has since been remanded to custody and will serve his sentence immediately. The incident underscores the broader efforts by law enforcement and the judiciary to maintain public order during this volatile time.
