A Labour councillor who called for far-right protesters’ throats to be cut at an anti-racism protest told police the “ill-advised” comments were made “in the heat of the moment”, a court has heard.
In the wake of rioting following the Southport murders, Ricky Jones, 58, described demonstrators as “disgusting Nazi fascists”, his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court was told.
A video showing Jones, who at the time was also employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) union, addressing the crowd in Walthamstow, east London, on August 7 last year went viral on social media after the protest.
Wearing a black polo top and surrounded by cheering supporters, the now-suspended councillor 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.
Jones was arrested on August 8 last year and interviewed at Brixton Police Station that night.
A prepared statement submitted on Jones’ behalf at the police station read: “Yesterday at a rally in Walthamstow, I made a comment on microphone to a large crowd.
“I accept that these comments were particularly ill-advised.
“I was referring specifically to an incident the day before where some far-right activists had stuck a ‘National Front Rights for Whites’ sticker on a train and hidden a razor blade behind it in order that anyone trying to remove it would injure themselves.
“This had made me very upset. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s when the National Front were very active and I experienced a great deal of racism in my youth.
“I did not intend for my comments to be taken literally by anyone and I did not intend to encourage or incite anyone to commit violence against any other.
“I am, however, extremely sorry for making the comments which were made in the heat of the moment and I very much regret having done so.
“I was not invited to speak on microphone until the last minute and I had not planned or thought about what I was going to say in advance.”
Jones, who has been a borough councillor in Dartford, Kent, since 2019, was suspended by the Labour Party the day after the alleged incident.
Giving evidence, Jones said 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, told jurors the riots had made him feel “upset” and “angry” and said he felt it was his “duty” to attend counter-protests.
The father-of-four and grandfather said: “It reminded me of what I had to deal with as a youngster and it was painful to be reminded of that.
“We turned up to Walthamstow to peacefully demonstrate, to stop the far-right being able to come and smash up the immigration centre.”
Jones said he did not believe far-right protesters would turn up to the demonstration, adding: “They wouldn’t want to try and take on 10,000 people.”
Before the protest, the councillor had been warned to stay away from such demonstrations by the Labour Party.
Jones said he would “have attended anyway” despite this, adding: “It’s important for us to turn up to demonstrations like this to support our communities.”
A medical report by experts from the prosecution and defence agreed that Jones “suffers from a number of neurodivergent challenges”, jurors were told as part of agreed facts.
These include “impaired verbal comprehension potentially leading to misunderstanding the impact of his words” and “slower cognitive processing meaning he may not have evaluated the situation in real time”.
Jurors were also told testing had established Jones suffers from “impulsivity increasing the likelihood of reactive speech” and “emotional arousal which can override deliberate decision-making”.
The agreed facts read by prosecutor Ben Holt stated: “The experts agree that these challenges may contribute to impulsive verbal responses in emotionally charged situations.
“These challenges can impair his ability to plan responses and inhibit inappropriate remarks. This could lead to Ricky Jones making regrettable statements when he is unprepared.”
The prosecution’s medical expert, Dr Scott Mackenzie, said Jones’ difficulties appeared “functionally on the milder side as demonstrated by his ability to successfully work in senior roles where he has to speak publicly”.
The defence’s medical expert Dr Alison Beck said Jones’ difficulties were “statistically and clinically significant”.
Discussing the impact of “strong emotions” on Jones, defence barrister Hossein Zahir KC asked: “What is the difference between you and someone you might describe as neurotypical?”
Jones replied: “If I get emotional and distracted I come out with things I don’t always mean.
“The impact of me standing up and delivering a speech without planning it means it could come out wrong.”
Discussing his upbringing, Jones said he frequently encountered National Front graffiti and compared the situation to the popularity of Reform UK today, saying: “It created a bit like the situation today in the sense of the Reform party – a lot of people are being taken in by the Reform party and believe what they say.”
He added that he faced racial abuse at school and that other children would “spit” over his clothes.
The demonstration had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau, jurors were told.
It followed the nationwide violent disorder that occurred last summer after the Southport murders.
Jones, of Dartford, denies one count of encouraging violent disorder.
Judge Rosa Dean told jurors on Tuesday morning that a person had “tailgated” them into a secure area of the court on Monday after CCTV footage was reviewed.
The judge added: “It’s perfectly clear that the person who tailgated has absolutely nothing to do with this case and that person is not welcome in this court.”
The trial continues.
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