Posted on 09/20/2024 12:00:13 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Thomas Birley, 27, pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life after he fueled a fire in bin placed by entrance to hotel near Rotherham
British man jailed for 9 years for arson at hotel housing asylum seekers during anti-Muslim riotsA view of the damage to a hotel for asylum seekers after it was targeted by far-right rioters in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom on August 05, 2024.
A British man was sentenced to nine years on Friday for setting fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers during violent anti-Muslim riots in northern England, marking the harshest sentence yet in connection to the recent wave of disorder.
According to British media reports, Thomas Birley, 27, pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life after he fueled a fire in a bin placed by an entrance to the hotel near Rotherham on Aug. 4.
At the time, staff and asylum seekers were inside the building, which was being used to temporarily host migrants.
Birley also pleaded guilty to charges of violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon.
The riots that led to the attack on the hotel followed the killings of three young girls in Southport on July 29, an event that ignited a wave of unrest fueled by misinformation.
Initial claims falsely linked the killings to a Muslim migrant, sparking anger and protests across the country. Axel Rudakubana, 18, who was born in Cardiff, has been charged in connection with the killings.
Judge Jeremy Richardson, presiding over the case, described Birley's actions as "suffused with racism from beginning to end." He condemned the attack as part of a larger atmosphere of racial hostility stoked by false online claims.
The violence involved arson, looting, and racist attacks, with around 400 people targeting the Rotherham hotel during the days of disorder.
Birley's sentencing is the most severe punishment handed down so far in connection to the unrest, with officials warning that further prosecutions are likely to follow as investigations continue.
He set fire to a dumpster next to the hotel. The building was never affected. His lawyer is an idiot to plea.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, who was born in Cardiff
Hard to say. Arson could’ve got up to 20 years, and authorities were saying no mercy.
Sounds like he wanted the building to take light though.
He is a hero. Too bad not more successful.
A “far-right person” in Britain is someone who gets mildly upset over his daughter being raped and murdered by a migrant. Or he complains when migrants squat in his house and throw him out. Such hate by native born Brits is no longer allowed.
It’s only gonna get worse.
If you ask me they are going after the wrong targets.
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