Ex-Labour councillor among four counter-protesters facing court

A SUSPENDED Labour councillor accused of urging anti-fascist protesters to “cut the throats” of far-Right rioters has been remanded in custody.

appeared in court yesterday charged with encouraging violent disorder at an anti-fascist demonstration on Wednesday. He was arrested on Thursday and charged with encouraging violent disorder after a video emerged in which he appeared to call for far-Right protesters’ throats to be cut during a demonstration in Walthamstow, north-east London.

Although far-Right rioters have made up the majority of those appearing in court over the past few days, the first defendants sentenced yesterday were two Asian men from Leeds who, like Jones, participated in counter-protests.

and both from West Bank in Leeds, received sentences of 20 and 18 months respectively for their attack on “pro EDL” protesters.

In Birmingham, a third man,

appeared in court accused of possessing an imitation AK-47 after a video circulated on social media.

Mr Jones was arrested on Thursday after footage of Walthamstow demonstration was shared online. He had served as a Labour councillor in Dartford from 2019, before he was suspended by the party. He spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. Members of his family were in court.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram told Mr Jones: “In the midst of serious public disorder across the country, it is alleged that using a microphone, you addressed the crowd. You said: ‘We need to cut their throats and get rid of them.’” Mr Jones, of Dartford, Kent, was remanded in custody ahead of a pretrial and preparatory hearing at Inner London Crown Court on Sep 6.

Ali and Ghafoor, the pair from Leeds, admitted affray earlier this week and were sentenced for 20 and 18 months respectively yesterday.

The men attacked “pro-EDL” rioters during a clash between opposing demonstrations in the city centre on Aug 3. Ghafoor was also ordered to serve an additional 12 months for breaching an unrelated suspended sentence.

Leeds Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of a group of Asian men kicking and punching a smaller group of four white men, one of whom was draped in a Union flag and wearing a Union flag mask, last Saturday afternoon on Great George Street, in the city.

Graham O’Sullivan, representing Ali, said his client was provoked by “Islamophobic threats and abuse” from the group of white men, including comments like “f--- Allah” and the use of racial slurs.

A judge warned that “severe sentences will follow” for anyone taking part in the violence.

Also yesterday, Mr Khan was remanded into custody at Birmingham magistrates’ court by District Judge David Wain after indicating a plea of not guilty to a charge of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence between Aug 5 and 6.

Mr Khan, of Hickman Road in Birmingham, also faces a charge of sending a communication threatening death or serious harm between Aug 5 and 6 and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress towards a police officer on Aug 7.

District Judge Wain said Mr Khan had appeared in a video “holding a realistic imitation assault rifle” and remanded him into custody. He will appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday.

Last night, about a thousand counter protesters gathered at Belfast City Hall to stand against a small anti-immigration demonstration. A heavy police

Enders Analysis. “But it could be argued disinformation has slightly fallen through the cracks in the end.”

Sir Keir hinted the Government could review the act, saying ministers will have to “look more broadly” at social media rules. But does he have other options for taking on the might of Big Tech?

One relatively straightforward response would be to haul Mr Musk in front of a select committee.

This form of public pressure would be particularly fitting given the Tesla tycoon has repeatedly waded into the debate – and even been guilty of spreading disinformation himself.

The billionaire this week shared an image of a doctored headline that appeared to suggest rioters would be sent to detainment camps in the Falklands. Mr Musk took down the post, but not before it had been seen more than two million times.

In reality, toothless select committees will be of little concern to Silicon Valley denizens such as Mr Musk.

The Government may instead attempt to take content moderation into its own hands.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, has been involved in a public row with Sir Keir Starmer

presence and barriers were in place to keep the two gatherings apart, with Donegall Square North closed to traffic.

Those at the anti-immigration protest were seen holding signs with slogans such as “Shankill Road says no to illegal immigration” and chanting “send them home”.

Trade union banners and signs with anti-racism messages were held aloft at the counter protest, with chants of “when migrant lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back” and “Belfast is anti-fascist”.

In Crawley last night, hundreds of counter-protesters gathered outside a hotel and waved up to the windows chanting “refugees are welcome here”.

that a secretive government agency known as the National Security Online Information Team has been deployed to monitor social media during the riots. It has previously attracted criticism for “spying ”.

In the most extreme scenario, Sir Keir could opt to ban X through a mechanism known as “geoblocking”. This is most commonly used by video services such as BBC iPlayer and Sky Go to prevent viewing abroad, but also has more sinister uses.

The upcoming online safety laws allow for geoblocking, but analysts say this would only be deployed in an extreme scenario. What’s more, too heavy-handed an approach is likely to draw criticism from civil liberties campaigners.

So for all his rhetoric, Sir Keir finds himself in something of a bind. Without laws in place, the UK has little power to crack down on disinformation on social media. Yet in taking too hardline an approach against Musk’s company, the Prime Minister will find himself accused of stifling free speech.

In the meantime, then, there is little Britain can do but hope that its increasingly fragilelooking democracy can survive the extremities of Mr Musk’s online world.