Man tells racial hatred trial riots were 'stupid'

A wave of violence, protests and counter-protests swept the country in the wake of the Southport knife attacks in July

A man accused of inciting racial hatred online has told his trial he thought the people who rioted this summer in the wake of the Southport attacks were “stupid”.

Mark Heath denies stirring up racial hatred on X while publishing material to the site in July and August.

The father-of-one, of Kestrel Road in Oakham, Rutland, is alleged by prosecutors to have posted "talk of war" and images that targeted people on the grounds of their race, including a claim that Islam was a "common problem" for the whole world.

Giving evidence to Leicester Crown Court, sitting at Loughborough Courthouse, on Wednesday, Mr Heath said nothing he had ever posted on X was intended to stir up hatred.

He told jurors: "I do have strong opinions and express those opinions but at no point was I trying to stir up racial hatred.

"I am very much right-wing. I do not hate all Muslims, but I do have major issues with radical Islam."

The jury has heard that Mr Heath posted on X - which he viewed as a freedom of speech "safe space" after its takeover by Elon Musk - to describe Muslim men being involved in an incident at Manchester Airport as a "Brucey Bonus".

Mr Heath, 45, told defence barrister Christopher Surtees-Jones: "I do regret putting the last bit I must admit. It was a silly thing to say.

"Anybody that is up for attacking a group of armed police officers, in my eyes, is pretty radical."

The court heard the images posted by Heath were not original content but were things he had seen shared on the site.

"When I say 'take a stand' that means debate and policy," he told the court. "My issue is illegal immigration and who is arriving on the boats that are coming in.

"My perception, be it right or wrong, is that all I see coming in on the boats are fighting-age males."

'I condemn them'

Another message, posted by Mr Heath on the day of the Southport knife attacks, falsely said Ali Al Shakati was the perpetrator, was 17 years old and had arrived on a dinghy, and wrongly repeated claims that witnesses saw him shouting "Allahu Akbar".

Mr Heath said: "Ali Al Shakati is a name that was circulated from a false news channel, which a lot of people got took in by, obviously me included. It was wildfire on X."

Mr Surtees-Jones asked Mr Heath: "Were you intending to stir up racial hatred on that post?"

He answered: "Not at all. I was just commenting on what I had heard.

"Taking our country back means taking the borders back. That's me having an opinion.”

Mr Heath added: "The people that were rioting, in my opinion, are stupid. I condemn them 100%.

"At no point in any of my posts that had anything to do with riots do I encourage or endorse a call to arms. That is not who I am."

On Monday the trial heard police had compiled a 48-page document of screenshots of Mr Heath’s posts, while on Tuesday the jury was told Heath had responded no comment to every question in his police interview.

The trial continues.