UK COUNCILLOR CONVICTED OVER OFFENSIVE FACEBOOK POST ABOUT NIGERIANS

A UK court has convicted Sunderland councillor Glenn Gibbins over a Facebook post targeting Nigerians living in the city.

The 66-year-old received a 12-month community order and was directed to complete 150 hours of unpaid work following a trial at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

District Judge Zoe Passfield ruled that his comments crossed the threshold of being “grossly offensive” to reasonable members of the public.

The post, published in March 2024, suggested using Nigerians to fill potholes. It resurfaced after campaign group Hope Not Hate reviewed Gibbins’ social media activity when he became a Reform UK candidate.

Gibbins was elected in May but was suspended by the party after the remarks emerged.

During the trial, he admitted the comment was offensive but denied it was grossly so. He described it as a “tongue-in-cheek joke” that was not intended to be taken literally.

Prosecutor Emma Dowling argued that the message was dehumanising and intended to offend and humiliate Nigerians in Sunderland.

Nigerian community leader Godwin Ejeh told the court that he organised a protest outside City Hall in the hope that Gibbins would apologise.

Rejecting suggestions that the protest was politically motivated, Ejeh said: “We are talking about humanity here; it’s way beyond politics.”

Gibbins’ lawyer described the post as an unpleasant, unfunny joke, but the court found that its content met the criminal threshold.

Following the conviction, the Crown Prosecution Service said racially charged, grossly offensive comments can cause serious distress to affected communities and may lead to prosecution.