By, Jonathan Kalmus
1 min read
ByJonathan Kalmus, Jonathan Kalmus
A 21-year-old man with links to an extremist group has been jailed for four weeks for sending an “obscene” antisemitic tweet to Liverpool MP Luciana Berger.
Garron Helm, 21, of Thomson Road, Litherland, Merseyside, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Monday to sending an offensive, indecent or obscene message.
As well as the jail sentence, he was ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge to the MP after the judge upgraded the offence to one considered racially motivated.
The tweet showed a photograph of Ms Berger with a Holocaust yellow star superimposed on her forehead and the wording: “You can always count on a Jew to show their true colours eventually”.
It also contained the hashtag “Hitler was right”.
When police raided Mr Helm's home, they found SS insignia and a flag of the extremist right-wing group National Action.
Defending Mr Helm, Mark Ellis said he was “immature”. His family of 10 siblings had “broke down” after his father was killed in an accident at his work and mother had a mental breakdown.
He had found an “online family” with the extremist group but was someone who was simply looking for guidance in life.
“The defendant said in his police statement he was profoundly apologetic and provided a hand-written letter to the victim,” Mr Ellis said.
But judge Andrew Shaw said the items found in Mr Helm's home suggest “your true motivation” for sending an extremist antisemitic message.
“You positioned a Star of David over the head of a picture of the victim. The indirect character of the communication only served to cause potential humiliation by canvassing what you wrote to others first,” he added.
In a statement read in court, Ms Berger said she was described as “deeply shocked by the entire incident and the link to National Action, which she knows to be an extremist group.”
Responding to news of the sentencing, Ms Berger issued a later statement. She said: "This sentence sends a clear message that hate crime is not tolerated in our country. I hope this case serves as an encouragement to others to report hate crime whenever it rears its ugly head".
John Mann MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism, said: "This is an important and welcome decision. It should serve as a warning that either online or offline, antisemitic and racist hatred is simply unacceptable and will be tackled head on".
