Man jailed for anti-Islam social media messages
A BIRMINGHAM man who posted 32 vile messages on social media site Twitter has been given a 20-month jail sentence after being convicted of stirring up racial hatred.
Rhodenne Chand, from Finchley Road, Kingstanding, told officers he had been “venting” in the aftermath of the Manchester and London Borough Market terror attacks.
Some of the messages encouraged violence against Muslims and for mosques to be attacked − and in one Chand claimed he wanted to “slit a Muslim’s throat”.
A member of the public reported the twitter rant to police fearing the 31-year-old might carry through on his threats.
West Midlands Police has sunsequently warned that anyone posting inflammatory messages risked arrest for committing hate crimes.
Chand, who was arrested on June 17, 2017, admitted issuing the messages.
He said he felt disgusted at himself for writing the posts when he had been “venting”.
A specialist prosecutor assessed the case and determined the posts showed intent to stir up racial and religious hatred and that such “violent rhetoric can cause considerable harm once it is in the public domain”.
Chand was charged with publishing threatening, abusive or insulting material intended to stir up racial hatred. He admitted the offence and appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday where he was jailed for 20 months.
West Midlands Police Superintendent Mat Shaer has been working closely with Tell Mama and the Association of Muslim Police to ensure the force’s approach to hate crime continues to improve.
“This case saw the sustained release of offensive, threatening material aimed at Muslim and Pakistani communities,” he said. “It left people fearing some of the threats could be carried out by him or his Twitter followers. The law is careful to try to not penalise expression of opinion, even in strong and possibly offensive terms.
“We take hate crime very seriously and anyone found to be stirring up hatred on the grounds of race, religion, sexuality, or disability could find themselves in court and facing a criminal conviction. Court outcomes like this are important in order to reassure communities of our willingness to make progress in the way we tackle hate crime matches how proud we are to police such a diverse region.”