Updated
The leaders of far-right British party Britain First have been handed jail time for religiously aggravated harassment.
Key points:
- Fransen convicted on three counts of religiously aggravated harassment, Golding found guilty on one charge
- Fransen received a 36-week jail sentence, Golding handed 18 weeks
- Britain First received international attention when Donald Trump retweeted their video last year
Paul Golding, 36, leader of the anti-immigration party, and his deputy Jayda Fransen, 31, were convicted of filming and harassing people they believed were involved in a rape trial involving a number of Muslim men at a court in Canterbury, Kent.
They posted their actions on the Britain First website and also delivered offensive leaflets to homes in the area where those involved in the case lived, prosecutors told Folkestone Magistrates Court.
"The prosecution case demonstrated these defendants were not merely exercising their right to free speech but were instead aiming religiously aggravated abuse at innocent members of the public," Chief Crown Prosecutor Jaswant Narwal said in a statement.
Fransen was convicted on three counts of religiously aggravated harassment and Golding was found guilty of one charge.
Both have been given jail time, with Fransen handed a 36-week sentence and Golding receiving 18 weeks.
Last November, United States President Donald Trump retweeted anti-Muslim videos posted by Fransen, drawing condemnation from across Britain, including from Prime Minister Theresa May.
Mr Trump initially fired back at Ms May, saying she should focus on "the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom".
But in January he said he had not intended to cause offence in Britain and his retweet was not an endorsement of Britain First.
"If you're telling me they're horrible people, horrible racist people, I would certainly apologise if you would like me to do that," Trump said in an interview with a British broadcaster.
Fransen, who was convicted last year of abusing a Muslim woman, said at the time she believed Mr Trump had been "railroaded" into making an apology.
She and Golding have accused the authorities of persecution.
Newly-elected Australian Senator and retired senior Army officer Jim Molan was also criticised for sharing videos posted by Britain First on his personal Facebook page.
He has said he has no apologies or regrets for sharing the videos, which purports to show Muslim men attacking a police car in France and Muslim men harassing and assaulting young women in France and the Netherlands.
Last week, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer warned Britain was facing a serious and growing threat from far-right terrorism, often fuelled by online extremism.
ABC/Reuters
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, world-politics, united-kingdom
First posted