Councillor 'horrified' by counter-protest remarks

The anti-racism protest was held in Walthamstow on 7 August last year

A Labour councillor who called for far-right protesters' throats to be cut at a rally says he edited the video footage as he was "horrified" by his comments, a court has heard.

Ricky Jones, 58, is currently on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court after he called demonstrators "disgusting Nazi fascists" at an anti-racism protest in Walthamstow on 7 August last year.

A video of Mr Jones' speech which went viral on social media showed the councillor addressing "tens of thousands" of people.

The Dartford councillor, who has since been suspended, denies encouraging violent disorder but told police that his remarks were "ill-advised", the court heard.

'Shocked and horrified'

Mr Jones, who at the time was also employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) union, later sent an edited version of his speech video to members.

Asked by his defence barrister, Hossein Zahir KC, why he edited the video, Mr Jones replied: "When I had time to view the footage after the demonstration, I was shocked at what I had actually said.

"I was horrified.

"Under no circumstances did I want to portray that to anybody, so I edited that last bit out."

Mr Jones told jurors on Tuesday that his comments were not intended to be "taken literally by anyone" or to "encourage or incite" violence.

Instead, he said he was referring "specifically" to an incident where a 'National Front Rights for Whites' sticker had been stuck on a train with a hidden razor blade behind it.

The councillor told jurors on Wednesday that he felt "very emotional and very upset" after receiving pictures of the stickers the day before the rally.

He said: "I was very concerned about what had happened on the train. I was thinking, this (the speech) is a good opportunity to raise what happened."

Mr Jones described the mood in the crowd at the time as "happy and joyful", and said that those in attendance "clearly knew it was about what happened on the train".

Prosecutor Ben Holt told the defendant: "Your words about slitting people's throats were not cheerful or happy."

The councillor agreed and said he was "ashamed".

On Monday the prosecution told jurors that Mr Jones was "rabble rousing" a crowd in a "setting where violence could readily have been anticipated".

Mr Jones went against advice not to attend the rally held in response to protests which had taken place following the murder of three children in Southport.

The 58-year-old, who was arrested the day after he made the comments, said he felt it was his "duty" to attend counter-protests.

The trial continues.

Additional reporting by PA Media