Britain First leader and deputy leader jailed

[northwichcat]

The leader and deputy leader of far-right group Britain First have been found guilty of religiously-aggravated harassment.

Paul Golding, 36, and Jayda Fransen, 32, were arrested over the distribution of leaflets and posting of online videos during a gang-rape trial.

Fransen was convicted of three counts of religiously aggravated harassment. Golding was found guilty of one charge.

Both were jailed at Folkestone Magistrates' Court.

Fransen was handed a 36-week sentence and Golding 18 weeks.

During their trial in January, the court heard they had targeted homes and people in Kent whom they believed were connected to a rape trial at Canterbury Crown Court where three Muslim men and a teenager were convicted of rape and jailed.

The pair, both from Penge in south-east London, were arrested in May last year.

'Hostility' towards Muslims
Fransen had denied four counts while Golding denied three.

He told the court the pair were "well-known", "controversial" and "generate their own publicity", but his verdict was based "solely on admissible evidence heard in court".

He said their words and actions "demonstrated hostility" towards Muslims and the Muslim faith.

"I have no doubt it was their joint intention to use the facts of the case [in Canterbury] for their own political ends.

"It was a campaign to draw attention to the race, religion and immigrant background of the defendants."

Both Fransen and Golding were convicted on a joint charge of religiously aggravated harassment after an incident last May at 555 Pizza takeaway in Ramsgate, when Fransen banged on the windows and doors of the shop and screamed "paedophile" and "foreigner".

However, in each case, they instead targeted innocent members of the public.

They filmed the abuse and then released it on social media and through the Britain First website.

They also posted offensive leaflets through the letterboxes of houses in the area where the defendants lived.

Giving evidence, Fransen had denied being a racist and said she had carried out campaigns against people accused of sex offences, while Mr Golding told the court he had often acted as hercameraman.

Fransen was convicted of abuse after visiting a house she wrongly believed to be the current address of Sershah Muslimyar, a defendant in the trial.

She was also convicted of visiting the Kent home of another defendant, Tamin Rahmani, and shouting racist abuse through the front door while his pregnant partner Kelli Best was there.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43320121

Bet even Donald Trump won't be endorsing them anymore.

 

[AlterEgo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43320121

Bet even Donald Trump won't be endorsing them anymore.

A pretty horrible case of harassment and glad the sentences were appropriate.

I believe Fransen and Golding are still to face trial in Belfast over remarks made at a “Northern Ireland Against Terrorism” rally. I haven’t seen or heard what they allegedly said there, but it was bound to be unpleasant. This rally was held in opposition to an “Anti Internment” march held by dissident republicans. It will not surprise anyone to know that the “Northern Ireland Against Terrorism” rally was organised by dissident loyalist paramilitaries.

Fransen is also charged with a hate crime over a video she posted at a Belfast peace wall where she made some half-intelligent remarks about societal divisions Islamic tensions may bring in the future in Britain. I have watched this video and would feel uncomfortable if she was found guilty *on this charge*. In my view she’s simply exercising her freedom of speech and I don’t believe she incites hatred or violence. It’s a poor comparison she made, and shows a lack of understanding of the whole Irish situation.

The PSNI sent officers to *Bromley* of all places to arrest Golding and Fransen after they signed police bail one Saturday. All the PSNI want to do is have a marquee prosecution of a nasty person for a hate crime, and because they’re English they’re pretty low-hanging fruit. There are nasty buggers of both colours and none saying worse in Northern Ireland about other white people, but the PSNI are too scared to do anything about it happening just around the corner from their own police stations. This is in part due to threats made against them making it difficult to operate in that space, but also in part due to the fact whoever they prosecute first, whether it’s a republican or a loyalist, there’ll be claims of bias.

Fransen and Golding are bloody naive and should have seen a prosecution from the PSNI coming a long way off. However, they’re ignorant.

Still, it’s good news these nasty people are behind bars at the moment.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43320121

Bet even Donald Trump won't be endorsing them anymore.

Good look finding a bookmaker who'll take that bet!

 

[Strathclyder]

Not before time. Utterly nasty pieces of work, the pair of them.