A former Manchester United apprentice and Royal Marine has been cleared of stirring up racial hatred after posting a Facebook video about the risks posed to the UK by unchecked illegal immigration.
Jamie Michael, a Free Speech Union (FSU) member from Penygraig, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was unanimously acquitted by a jury at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in just 17 minutes. The FSU paid Michael’s legal fees and arranged for him to be represented by solicitor Luke Gittos and barrister Adam King.
Michael, 46, had been charged with publishing threatening material with intent to stir up racial hatred – in reality, a Facebook video. The 12-minute video, in which he urged people to stage peaceful protests about illegal immigration, was posted in the wake of the Southport murders.
Prosecutors claimed his language was “unrelentingly negative” towards migrants, but his defence made clear that his words were directed at Southport killer Axel Rudakubana and “illegal, unchecked or radicalised immigrants”.
The case had been sparked after a member of staff from the office of Welsh Labour MS Buffy Williams – an elected member of the Senedd – reported the video to the police. Michael was arrested and remanded in custody, although he was later let out on tag while awaiting trial. It later emerged that he was prosecuted by the Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service.
Taking the stand in his defence, Michael denied being racist but admitted his language had been “clumsy” in the emotional aftermath of the Southport attack. “As a parent, I felt gut-wrenched,” he told the court. “I wanted to get some kind of security measures in place for our children.”
The court heard that Michaels had been an apprentice footballer with Manchester United, Oxford United and Cardiff City before joining the Royal Marines, serving in Iraq in 2003, and later working in private security in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Everyone at the FSU is delighted by Jamie’s acquittal. The decision to prosecute him was an attack on free speech.
Jamie had urged people to protest peacefully, yet found himself facing the prospect of imprisonment for expressing views that – however objectionable to some Welsh Labour politicians – were lawful.
Before trial, solicitor Luke Gittos wrote to the Crown Prosecution Service, calling for the case to be dropped. Unfortunately this plea fell on deaf ears, even though the jury reached a verdict in less time than it took to hear the prosecution’s opening arguments.
It remains a matter of concern that Michael was prosecuted at the urging of a politician (the staffer in question was a Labour councillor). The authorities should have resisted this political pressure, given the time and resources wasted on this case. People should not face criminal charges for expressing lawful opinions, regardless of how distasteful those in power find them.
Michael’s swift acquittal also raises broader questions. If the dozens of people arrested and charged over social media comments last August had pleaded not guilty, how many of them would not now be in jail?
We urge anyone who’s concerned they might be arrested in connection with something they’ve said on social media to join the FSU. We can provide you with proper legal advice and, if we think your case has merit, arrange and pay for your legal defence, as we did in this case. No one should go to prison for hurty words.
Dr Frederick Attenborough is the Executive Director of Communications and Research at the Free Speech Union. This article was first published on the FSU website.
Stop Press: Laurie Wastell tweets that this means “of the six defendants to go to jury trial for offences during the Southport unrest, only one has been found guilty” – “confirming that Starmer’s tyrannical blanket remand policy last summer pushed many to plead guilty who stood a strong chance of going free at trial”.
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Looking at the polls it seems that increasing numbers of people are waking up to the fact that anything that Labour touches is toxic. Economy, energy, education, immigration etc. They literally haven’t put a foot right.
Just wait until the formal recession hits and unemployment shoots up. Labour will then be sub 20% in the polls. Reform will be the main beneficiaries.
Reform already are.
The only question remaining is how to get the Student Union party out of Westminster. And make sure we destroy the Tory party on the way
Don’t forget Whitehall, the deep state that you can’t vote out. Doomwatch is on tonight on TPTV. It often reminds me of Yes Minster the way they clash with officials.
I think the Tories are doing a good job of destroying themselves – as are Labour.
That this government would be nothing but Wokezilla on the rampage was the plan from the start. This mirrors a political plan brought forward to the German Greens by a so-called independent journalist when it became clear that their governing didn’t exactly make them more popular with the electorate (before the coalition collapsed): You have until the next election to ram through whatever of your policies you can. Make sure to use this chance to save a planet!
It’s clear to me that this government does not have a constructive plan at all: just a laundry list of destructive policies compiled by immature, intellectually and morally bereft, grievance apparatchiks. In a sane world they would be jailed for what they are doing.
bankruptcy beckons
16 year olds to get vote ? Did I get this right ?
But… reports from both sides of the Atlantic say that Gen Z – those under age 25, have turned away from the Left towards conservatism.
Giving 16 year olds the vote, might not produce the outcome the Labour-loonies hope.
Contrast this:
Now repeat with rejuvenated faith: Two-tier justice is nothing but right-wing conspiracy theory!
In case your faith in that wasn’t rejuvenated, a Crown Prosecution Service near you might have to have an interview with you.
But the marine is white, and male he needs to check his privilege. Whereas Mr Rudakaba or whatever is a diverse and beautiful but opressed man who was just expressing his frustration with the cultural insensitivity shown to him by those little girls dancing to Taylor Swift.
As our betters tell us we are bad, white colonialists who must pay for the colour of our skin and our ancestors.
Laurie’s reference to those who pleaded guilty to their on-line ‘offences’ got me thinking. I’m just wondering whether the PM’s references to them as ‘criminals’ before a trial may have had a subliminal effect on their plea. Just a thought.
they pled guilty because to do otherwise they could have been held on remand in jail for months or even years awaiting trial, this was how the Government and judiciary got away with what they did. including having the blood on their hands of the man who killed himself.
But as they have no conscience they don’t let it worry them
What if his language is unrelentingly negative?
“So what are you in for then?”
“For unrelentingly negative language.”
“Didn’t know that was a crime.”
“Nor did I, until the police came to arrest me…”
In an attempt to appear reasonable, stating that he was speaking up against illegal immigrants only and not the legal ones invites the idea that protesting against legal migration and being very negative about it is wrong and not to be allowed.
But who are we kidding. There really is no free speech in Britain. It’s an island of serfs who didn’t know they were serfs but some are beginning to realise they are.
“Unrelenting negative” = free speech.
is Buffy paying costs?
Is Buffy short for Buffoon, I wonder.
Well, she’s run away from Twitter in the last couple of months, so there’s that.
I expect Buffy Williams will be resigning.
Can the police sue the CPS for wasting police time? Can Jamie get compensation for wasting his time and damaging his mental health given that is all the rage these days. I understand that the elite were using remand as a punishment – look at what the DemoTwats did to the J6 political prisoners given that many were still on remand when Donald released them. However, they should have gone before a jury of their peers.
HURRAH FOR FSU
And well done that man. The f***ing state of things, it makes me sick.
Well stood up for yourself, Royal Marine.
Meanwhile Sir Two Tier bleats on about the far right from a position of cognitive bias well toward the far left.
Human rights lawyer and former DDP who cares not one jot for the human rights of legitimate protestors leaned on by Plod to plead guilty to avoid months on remand.
Not for nothing is the law known as the last refuge of the scoundrel.
Thank you so much Free Speech Union team. You’re our guardian angels.
Excellent. It shows the value of juries – “we the people” have had enough of this nonsense.
This is fantastic news! Well done to the Free Speech Union lawyers and all involved in the fight to obtain justice for that veteran warrior.
It is salutary to think that if Lord Toby hadn’t founded The Free Speech Union, that former Royal Marine Jamie Michael wouldn’t have had a chance against the Leftist/ Globalist/ Marxist “Common Purpose” Subversives pervading our entire government, society and legal system.
It’s scandalous that many protestors were induced to plead guilty. It’s not dissimilar to the plea bargains system which puts so many people in gaol in the USA.
You should be able to plead not guilty without an adverse effect on your sentence
Well done to the Jury who found him Not Guilty.