A suspended Labour councillor has been found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder after he called for far-right protesters’ throats to be cut.
Ricky Jones, 58, made the comments at an anti-racism rally in the wake of rioting following the Southport murders.
Jones described far-right activists as “disgusting Nazi fascists”, his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
He 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.
Jones, who has been a borough councillor in Dartford, Kent, since 2019, was suspended by the Labour Party the day after the incident.
It is understood he is still suspended from party, with an internal investigation into his behaviour ongoing, meaning he will not sit as a Labour councillor.
A video showing Jones addressing the crowd in Walthamstow, east London, on 7 August 2024 went viral on social media after the protest.
It had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau.
Wearing a black polo top and surrounded by cheering supporters, the councillor said there were “women and children” using the trains.
“They don’t give a s*** about who they hurt,” he said.
“They are disgusting Nazi fascists. We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all.”
He also drew his finger across his throat as he spoke to the crowd.
Jurors deliberated for just over half an hour and found Jones not guilty on Friday.
Conservative and Reform politicians have decried what they call “two-tier justice”, with shadow home secretary Chris Philp comparing the case to that of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed after she posted a tweet calling for “mass deportation” and “set fire to all the f****** hotels” on the day of the Southport attacks last year.
In a post on X, Mr Philp said: “The development of two tier justice is becoming increasingly alarming.”
Ex-Reform chairman Zia Yusuf also referred to Connolly’s case, and said that “two tier justice in this country is out of control”.
Jones, 58, who at the time was also employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union, was arrested on 8 August 2024 and interviewed at Brixton police station that night.
Prosecutor Ben Holt previously told the court Jones, a father of four and grandfather, used “inflammatory, rabble-rousing language in the throng of a crowd 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”.
Jones told the court 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.”
Jones, who said he was on the left of the Labour Party, said the riots had made him feel “upset” and “angry”.
He said he felt it was his “duty” to attend counter-protests, despite being warned to stay away from such demonstrations by the Labour Party.
At the time of his suspension, a Labour spokesperson said: “This behaviour is completely unacceptable and it will not be tolerated. The councillor has been suspended from the party.”
