Man jailed for ‘burning migrant hotels’ posts on X after being reported by brother-in-law

An X user who posted two anti-immigration tweets that were viewed just 33 times has been handed a 18-month jail sentence.

Luke Yarwood, 36, was jailed for stirring up racial hatred after posting on X in the wake of the Magdeburg Christmas market car attack in Germany in December 2024.

His posts were reported to the police by his brother-in-law who he did not get on with.

The case has been compared with Lucy Connolly, pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred after sending the X post on the day of the Southport attacks.

Yarwood’s posts were described as ‘extremely unpleasant’ by prosecutor Siobhan Linsley, who said they had capability of sparking disorder at migrant hotels in Bournemouth, Dorset, near to where he lives.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard he made a series of anti-Muslim and anti-immigration tweets from December 21, 2024 to January 29, 2025.

They were triggered by the car attack in Germany which killed six people and misinformation on social media which claimed the person responsible was an Islamic extremist.

Yarwood replied to a post that stated thousands of Germans were taking to the streets and they wanted their country back.

Yarwood replied: ‘Head for the hotels housing them and burn them to the ground.’

Further posts also showed a ‘rabid dislike’ for foreigners and Islam but did not stir up racial hatred or incite violence.

These included a tweet about the number of foreign people in Bournemouth, stating: ‘Walking for ages and not hearing a word of English.’

The second illegal tweet was a response to a post by GB News.

He wrote: ‘I think it’s time for the British to gang together, hit the streets and start the slaughter.

‘Violence and murder is the only way now. Start off burning every migrant hotel then head off to MPs’ houses and Parliament, we need to take over by FORCE.’

Prosecutor Ms Linsley said in court that Yarwood although the two illegal tweets had minimal views, he would have had ‘some awareness that he was not merely shouting into the void’.

‘He was also replying to bigger accounts that have more followers, such as GB News,’ the lawyer added.

She went on: ”This wasn’t reckless behaviour, this was a pattern that happened over a month. It was rooted in his belief. He was angry about the presence of Muslims and foreigners in Britain.

‘These two posts bookended a series of extremely unpleasant posts between December and January.’

However Yarwood’s lawyer argued the posts had no ‘real-world’ consequences because they were only viewed 33 views and were the  ‘impotent rantings of a socially isolated man’ .

Nick Tucker said: ‘The current climate is such that this sort of activity has the potential to fuel serious disturbances. Thankfully this was viewed by an extremely limited audience.’

He also told the court that Yarwood had fallen out with his sister and brother-in-law, who reported his racist posts to the police.

The dad was stressed and at a low point, no longer holding these ‘extremist views’ now, the defense lawyer added.

He attempted to persuade the judge not to jail Yarwood, saying his ill health would make custody difficult and it would prevent him seeing his son.

Mr Tucker added: ‘He acknowledges the views he expressed were uneducated, ignorant and odious.

‘The defendant is not at heart a racist, he simply found this to be a convenient channel for his discontent.

‘That’s not an excuse but to draw a distinction between a dyed in the wool idealogue that thinks those of other races are inferior and not welcome in this country and someone disaffected, ill-educated and misinformed who reaches for the most convenient subject for his rather inarticulate rantings.’

However, Judge Jonathan Fuller jailed him after deciding the ‘odious’ tweets were designed to stir up racial hatred and incite violence.

Judge Fuller said the matter was so serious only immediate custody was appropriate.

He said Yarwood had a ‘preoccupation with immigrants and particular obsession with Islam and some extreme Right-wing views’.

Judge Fuller said: ‘This is not a court of politics but law. You are entitled to express your views, but freedom of speech is not an absolute right, it’s a qualified one. 

‘What the law prohibits is the stirring up of racial hatred.

‘The continuing safety and stability of our communities are undermined by actions such as yours.

‘The tweets speak for themselves, they are odious in the extreme. There could be few clearer examples of words specifically designed to stir up racial hatred and incite violence.

‘They are serious offences that could have had serious consequences and can only be marked by a sentence of immediate imprisonment.’

Comparisons to the Lucy Connolly case were also made by Ms Linsley.

The Tory councillor’s wife’s post, which was viewed more than 300,000 times in the four hours before she deleted it, said: ‘Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care… if that makes me racist so be it.’

The mum served 40% of her sentence in prison before being released on license in August.

Ms Linsley said although there was not the same high risk of disorder in Yarwood’s case, the ‘atmosphere in this country around these hotels and asylum seekers remains an extremely contentious one’.

Ms Linsley said: ‘There are ongoing protests daily around asylum hotels up and down the country that are having to be policed.

‘We are not in immediate risk of widespread disorder, but the atmosphere is not one of calm in this country around this issue.

‘The whole country is aware of the disorder that took place after the Southport killings, including an arson attack on a hotel and he was encouraging others to overthrow Parliament by force and head to MPs homes.’

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