Nigel Pelham of Sussex, England has been sentenced to 20 months in prison after being found guilty of eight counts of publishing threatening material with the purpose of stirring up hatred against Muslims , Daily Caller reported.
Hate Crimes Officer Peter Allen admitted that Pelham used Facebook to express how he felt about Muslims with no understanding how his posts could affect him legally. He thought social media was a place to air his personal opinion, but he was wrong. England has taken a hard stance against cyberbullying and will not accept the type of behavior Nigel exhibited.
Allen added that he hopes this will be a warning to anyone who is tempted to express a racist, offensive, or even sarcastic opinion on social media as England will not tolerate hatred against anyone.
The authorities learned about Pelham’s post and publicized his residence location. They forced him to pay a “victim’s surcharge” of $127 and took his computers as evidence.
According to Daily Wire , Nigel was sentenced to 20 months on June 16 for all eight counts of publishing threatening material with the intent to stir up hatred.
Many people aren’t sure how they feel about Nigel’s sentence. While most people agree that stirring up hate online is wrong, serving time in jail seems like a harsh punishment.
Pelham, 50, was convicted for eight posts he posted on Facebook between February and November of 2015, which included a post in which he said, “Put a Muslim on top of a bonfire.”
The Hates Crime officer asked the people to report offensive content to his department. He believes that if they work together, they can defeat hatred and make England a safer place to live. He added that for those who aren’t comfortable with reporting it on the phone or in person, there was an option to report hate crimes online.
Allen believes that Nigel’s posts were dangerous to the society and could stir up hatred towards Muslims, putting their lives in danger.
Pelham claimed that he meant no harm and was only voicing his frustration and opinions about Muslims. He didn’t think his Facebook posts warranted a prison sentence. He felt a warning would have been sufficient.
Do you think Englands hate crime policy is too strict? Does Nigel Pelham deserve a jail sentence? Share your opinion in the comments section below.
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