UK councilor's wife sentenced for hate speech that fueled riots
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Lucy Conolly, who was been under arrest since August 7, falsely claimed on social media that the stabbing attack in Southport in July was perpetrated by a Muslim asylum seeker.
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A car burns on Parliament Road during an anti-immigration protest in Middlesbrough, England on August 4, 2024. (AP)
According to UK media reports Thursday, Lucy Connolly, the wife of UK Conservative councilor Raymond Connolly, has been sentenced to 31 months in jail for a social media post advocating for mass deportations and the burning of hotels hosting migrants.
The infamous post on X was written shortly after a stabbing attack in the city of Southport in late July, in which three young girls were killed by someone Lucy Connolly alleged was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Although the offender was ultimately identified as a Welsh-born teen of Rwandan origin, and Connolly removed the post and apologized, major protests erupted in Southport and spread to other British towns.
Sky News quoted sentencing Judge Melbourne Inman saying "Some people used that tragedy as an opportunity to sow division and hatred, often using social media, leading to a number of towns and cities being disfigured."
Lucy Connolly, who has been under arrest since August 7, attended the hearing via video connection. According to the newspaper, the 41-year-old must spend 40% of her sentence before being freed on a license.
Inman told Conolly that she was "well-aware how volatile the situation was. That volatility led to serious disorder where mindless violence was used."
Three quarters of Muslim women in UK fear for safety amid riots
In late August, Sky News reported that up to 75% of Muslim women in the United Kingdom were concerned about their safety following rioting in the country.
Prior to the riots, just 16% of people polled were concerned about their safety, according to the research, and around one-fifth of respondents reported experiencing hostile attitudes following the incident.
More than 700 people were arrested, with over 300 charged for their suspected participation in the anti-Muslim riots and over 30 have been indicted with online crimes. These offenses consist of sharing footage of the ongoing violent riots or posting content that the Crown Prosecutorial Service describes as inciting "violence or hatred."
Clashes between the demonstrators and the police were incited by members of an anti-Muslim xenophobic fascist group known as the English Defense League (EDL), who provoked protesters by attacking a local mosque with projectiles.
