A suspended Labour councillor who called for far-right protesters’ throats to be cut at an anti-racism rally has been cleared of encouraging violent disorder.
Ricky Jones, 58, was found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder on Friday.
In the wake of rioting after the Southport murders last summer, Mr Jones described far-right activists as ‘disgusting Nazi fascists’, his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
Jones previously told the trial 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.
A video showing the father-of-four addressing the crowd in Walthamstow, east London, on August 7 last year, went viral on social media after the protest.
Wearing a black polo top and surrounded by cheering supporters, the councillor said: ‘You’ve got women and children using these trains during the summer holidays.
‘They don’t give a sh*t about who they hurt.
‘They are disgusting Nazi fascists. We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all.’
Ricky Jones, 58, who called for far-right protesters’ throats to be cut at an anti-racism rally has been cleared of encouraging violent disorder (Mr Jones pictured at the rally)
The suspended Labour councillor was found not guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court of encouraging violent disorder on Friday (pictured leaving the court on Tuesday)
Mr Jones, who had been a borough councillor in Dartford, Kent, since 2019, was suspended by the Labour Party the day after the alleged incident
He also drew his finger across his throat as he spoke to the crowd.
Prosecutor ben Holt alleged that Jones, who at the time worked as an official for the Transport Salaried Staff’s Association (TSSA) union, had used ‘inflammatory, rabble-rousing language’ in front of a crowd they described as a ‘tinderbox’.
He told jurors Jones’s speech was amplified through a microphone and speakers and took place ‘in a setting where violence could readily have been anticipated’.
Superintendent Jack May-Robinson previously told the court: ‘Any spark could have led to an incident or disorder occurring.’
But during his evidence, Jones instead described the mood in the crowd at the time as ‘happy and joyful’, adding: ‘There clearly wasn’t any upset or anger from any people in that scene, because they clearly knew it was about what happened on the train.’
The grandfather told the court he felt ‘horrified’ after realising what he had said.
‘When I had time to view the footage after the demonstration, I was shocked at what I had actually said,’ he told jurors.
He added 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.’
Wearing a black polo top and surrounded by cheering supporters, the councillor called protesters ‘fascists’ and drew his finger across his throat as he spoke to the crowd (pictured at the rally)
Mr Jones, who said he was on the left of the Labour Party, previously told jurors the riots had made him feel ‘upset’ and ‘angry’ and said he felt it was his ‘duty’ to attend counter-protests, despite being warned to stay away from such demonstrations by the Labour Party.
The jury also heard a medical report by experts from the prosecution and defence agreed that Jones ‘suffers from a number of neurodivergent challenges’ – including ‘impaired verbal comprehension potentially leading to misunderstanding the impact of his words’ and ‘slower cognitive processing meaning he may not have evaluated the situation in real time’.
Jurors deliberated for just over half an hour before finding him not guilty.
The demonstration on August 7 had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau.
It followed the nationwide violent disorder that occurred last summer after the Southport murders.
The 58-year-old, who at the time was also employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union, was arrested on August 8 last year and interviewed at Brixton police station that night.
The defendant, who has been a borough councillor in Dartford, Kent, since 2019, was suspended by the Labour Party the day after the alleged incident.
This is a news breaking story. More to follow.
