Lucy Connolly appeal Rejected

She certainly posed a risk to others when she was posting her vile encouragements to burn hotels with people in them. She may well say she’s sorry and changed her views but such entrenched racism is so unlikely to have disappeared from her belief systems.
If we let people out of prison because the criterion was they pose no risk to others- it’s unlikely we’d need a prison building program. Do the crime and serve the time

I abhor what she posted and have no problem with her being punished for it, but the sentences others get does or should have a bearing. Consistency in application of the law and subsequent punishment is vital. What if theft from a shop incurred a greater sentence for one person than someone else beating up the security guard? Men in possession of thousands of photos of babies and children being raped and abused are being given suspended sentences and that is appalling.

valdavi

Misinformed because the person guilty of the Southport murders was born in this country and she was passing the fake news that he was an asylum seeker on & adding her idea about burning the hostels down.

Apologies, I misunderstood what you were saying.

Madness really to talk of burning down hotels.

LAfergar - no problem, my posts do get a bit garbled!

There is a valid POV above that sentencing guidelines on different crimes need reviewing but that doesn't alter the facts of the case and sentencing guidelines on this one.

This lady, through political/social connections had managed to get expensive lawyers and a major organisation Union for Free Speech onside

and of course its very political because of the campaign since last summer by that "hurty words" (that oft used phrase to defend what were actually online threats of murder) are insignificant.

but they are significant

This is someone with privilege working the system.

Anyone who goes to prison leaves children and perhaps someone not well at home but in fact there are organisations who help people both in the voluntary and statutory sector. Not good enough for this lady, huh? Posh lawyers and a fund set up.

The judges in this appeal were not buying it!

Another poster above mentioned the children can take on parental views that making repeated racist posts and then finally threats of murder but what message is whats happening now sending to the young?

"It was only hurty words and if you get caught you'll get famous and crowdfunding".

Is this what we want?

I think she is reprehensible, and got what she deserved.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/lucy-connolly-sentence-tory-councillor-husband-twitter-post-b2630930.html
Saying other people should have been sentenced more harshly than they were doesn’t mitigate what she was sentenced in any way.

The free speech union support a wide range of people, they have been instrumental in defending some gender critical women, I don't think their support will be to do with her connections, they believe what it says on the tin in terms of free speech. They certainly have fought cases for completely 'ordinary' people.

I'm aware of their work, Galaxy, I looked them up and saw the gender critical cases and they were right there.

However this is very different. Incitement to murder cannot be OK.

We need protection as well as freedoms.

It will always be a balance. We are faced with unprecedented challenges in the world of social media, that can reach into homes, isolated teenagers in their bedrooms, suicide sites, and the like.

The law recognises this and I am glad it does so.

I don't trust those offering protection that is the issue. I am probably more scared of those who legislate in relation to speech than I am of her or anyone on social media.

The FSU is not without significant controversy itself Galaxy, as I’m sure you know. Their defence was based on the ‘single tweet’ for which she was convicted, but presumably the court that convicted her was also fully cognisant with the full surrounding tweets and messages and her case would have been considered in the round when her sentence was given.

Yes, this is all the FSU said on their site

"“This week, it will support Lucy Connolly’s sentencing appeal at the Royal Courts of Justice. Mrs Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor, is serving 31 months in prison for a social media post calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire.”

ie, set hostels on fire, not with the people in them Connolly's tweet after a series of others said

"““Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f** hotels full of the b*** for all I care… if that makes me racist so be it.”

What chance Gary Lineker?

25Avalon

What chance Gary Lineker?

I must have missed Gary Lineker saying anything along the lines of
‘’Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f** hotels full of the b*** for all I care… if that makes me racist so be it.” - did you see he had said anything suggesting people should be burned to death or suffer similar fates 25Avalon? If you did, please post it.

keepingquiet

The fact that people have contributed so much to a convicted criminal says everything I need to know about what kind of crazy country I'm living in...

Same keepingquiet 👏👏👏

👏👏👏 maybe also to query and challenge the trivialisation of online hate crimes including racist ones - and recognise the dangers in social media -

like the original accusation that the offender in the case was a migrant

- social media, passed on...

that provoked Connelly's post amongst others encouraging the fire bombing inside a hostel not far from me.

Not forgotten.

As a matter of interest, who coined the ‘hurty words’ phrase that is so often parroted by those who can’t come up with their own ways to dismiss racism, or who just prefer to hide behind those who can?

I'm not sure who coined it. It's so silly. I can think of people who have used it here though in defence of Connelly and her ilk.

It is portrayed by some as a little mishap, an error of judgement. I don't think so. At the time we were on the very brink of something very nasty indeed.

Just before anybody jumps on me obviously Southport was an absolute tragedy.

I have no strong feelings about the case of Lucy Connolly; her text was reprehensible as was the forwarding of the text falsely naming an asylum seeker responsible for the Southport murders, incidentally posted, later deleted.
on Gransnet.

Connolly's case has been taken up by Allison Pearson, DT journalist, who was previously investigated for hate crime concerning an inaccurate text she forwarded during a Gaza protest march. No charges were made,

At the same time, Dawn Butler, Labour MP, forwarded an unpleasant text concerning Kemi Badenoch. It was reported, complaints were made, but no action was take. Compare this to the treatment meted out previously to Diane Abbott for
a letter published by the press.

Hate crime by social media is a relatively new concept, and I do think many people have no idea they are committing an offence. It is important that there is equality of investigation, prosecution and sentencing; at present there seems too much disparity between cases. Starmer would be wise not to comment, selectively, on some cases and not others.

What was the content of those texts as compared with Connolly's? Did they threaten murder and setting fire?

I agree its not always clear - but I think Connolly's was clear and done in knowledge it was wrong.

(Sense of proportion here - the Daily Mail led with a "Boris Johnson condemns Connelly sentence" front page while most newspapers lead with starving children in Gaza and UK reaction)

Quote Casdon Tue 20-May-25 22:22:22
25Avalon
What chance Gary Lineker?
I must have missed Gary Lineker saying anything along the lines of
‘’Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f** hotels full of the b* for all I care… if that makes me racist so be it.” - did you see he had said anything suggesting people should be burned to death or suffer similar fates 25Avalon? If you did, please post it.

No,he didn’t say it, he did call Jews vermin , I heard this morning a group of louts yelling near a Synagogue ‘ rats’,
does this cause even more fear ?

It's a point for discussion Annie but on three threads already where you can bring this up including the Gary Linekar thread.

I'd still like to know what the texts were that are being compared to Lucy Connelly's.

Re "hurty words" - googling gives the earliest example in 2020 as a general term, but I wasn't aware of it until after the riots and sentences given.

Quote Wyllow3 Wed 21-May-25 10:07:16
It's a point for discussion Annie but on three threads already where you can bring this up including the Gary Linekar thread.

I'd still like to know what the texts were that

Do read the thread , you will Lineker mentioned, I replied ,
are you thread monitor or self appointed monitor.?

Just my POV, that there are huge numbers of issues connected with the Connelly case to do with all the different aspects mentioned - the length of sentence, the free speech aspect/hurty words, the crowdfunding.

It was clearly premeditated. The judge said she had said she would claim mental health if arrested. Inciting violence cannot be tolerated.