UK councillor convicted over call to ‘melt’ Nigerians

Résumé détaillé

A UK court has convicted Sunderland councillor Glenn Gibbins over a Facebook post where he suggested Nigerians should be “melted down” to fill potholes. Read More:…

A United Kingdom court has convicted a 66-year-old Sunderland councillor, Glenn Gibbins, over “grossly offensive” comments he made about the city’s Nigerian community.

According to a report published by UK news outlet Chronicle Live on Monday, the former Reform UK councillor, who was elected in May, was found guilty after a three-hour trial at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

District Judge Zoe Passfield, the report said, sentenced him to a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work.

Gibbins was said to have admitted that his comments were offensive but denied that they were grossly so. He made the remarks in a Facebook post in March 2024.

The report said the suspended councillor told the court that his comment, which suggested that Nigerians should be melted down and used to fill potholes, was “naughty” but was not meant to be taken literally.

The post reportedly came to light after the group Hope Not Hate reviewed his social media posts when Gibbins was announced as a Reform UK candidate for Sunderland City Council.

Chronicle Live reported that the authorities were alerted to the post after he was elected.

In the post, Gibbins wrote, “Can’t believe the amount of Nigerians in town… should melt them all down and fill in the potholes!!”

The report quoted the prosecuting counsel, Emma Dowling, as saying, “The comment about melting them down conjures up despicable images.”

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