Yahoo Finance Far right extremist convicted for 'very unacceptable views'
A far right sympathiser, who used social media to call for a race war, has been convicted of hate crime offences following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Police.
Tobias Powell, 32, from Bognor Regis in West Sussex, published a series of tweets between July and October 2018 in which he showed support for the banned terror group, National Action.
In one post he called for a “civil war to stop the ethnic suicide of white people” and shared picture of a Nazi tattoo he had.
He was arrested at his home in February 2019 by counter terrorism police who seized various items including electronic devices and literature on white supremacy.
Police later discovered that he had set up his computer username as Adolf Hitler and had written to Theresa May, the then Prime Minister, calling her a “snake” over the “Brexit stitch up”.
In a tweet on 6 July 2018 Powell mentioned Jo Cox, the MP who was murdered by a far right extremist, describing her as a “traitor and enemy of the people”.
Police said while the offences did not constitute terrorism, they showed that he held some “very unacceptable views”
Appearing at Worthing Magistrates’ Court, Powell was found guilty of four counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour intending to stir up racial hatred.
Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: “The evidence gathered during the investigation showed that Powell had some very unacceptable views.
“Whilst this was not a terrorism case, the nature of the rhetoric Powell had shared on social media, meant that it was only right for specialist officers from Counter Terrorism Policing to conduct a thorough investigation.
“We know there is a fine line between hate speech and terrorism. Showing support for terrorist organisations is not acceptable and if you do that, you should expect to be investigated by us.”
Chief Inspector Jon Carter, from Sussex Police, added: “This case shows the importance of thorough investigation of any use of the Internet to spread hate and dangerous material.
“The public can be reassured that there are systems in place to follow up all such reports, but it is also important to reassure local people that this was a very isolated matter for this area, and that however obnoxious Powell’s language was, there was no reference to or threat to the local community.”
Powell is due to be sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on 14 May.
