Andrew McIntyre, a 39-year-old gentleman from Rufford, Lancashire, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for his role in the Southport protests next year.
Following a massive punching in Southport on July 29, 2024, in which three babies tragically lost their lives, protests and riots erupted all over England and Northern Ireland in July 2024.
The protests were partially instigated by McIntyre’s behavior on social media. After an knife attack in the area, he had created a Telegram channel called” Southport wake up,” where he spread false information and stoked hostility.
After finding McIntyre with a knife in his vehicle in the area of the mob, police arrested him. Weapons and a version of Hitler’s Mein Kampf were discovered during a search of his house.
According to a report by The Guardian, the jury heard that McIntyre was seriously involved in organising the problems, using the route to direct people to harsh conflicts.
He also issued clear risks to officials, warning of crime if they interfered. One of his comments read:” Have in our approach, even if you’re really doing your job … prepare to fall”, ahead of the protests on 30 July 2024.
McIntyre had also shared aggressive material from far-right organizations and planned additional acts of violence the day after the first unrest.
The judge was informed that McIntyre’s online behavior was an expression of his significantly racist and violent beliefs that he intended to spread to others.
