UK woman jailed over Facebook post threatening to 'blow up mosque'

A 50-year-old woman was jailed by a UK court for inciting a mosque bombing through a social media post amid riots by right-wing groups in England and Northern Ireland targeting Muslims and immigrants.

Following the Southport stabbing attacks that killed three children, rumours circulated on social media, falsely identifying the attacker as Muslim. The perpetrator was actually Christian.

This misinformation fueled anti-immigrant and Islamophobic sentiment, with far-right groups blaming migrants and Muslims for the tragedy.

Rioters engaged in vandalism and harassment and threatened to set fire to the Rotherham Holiday Inn Express, which houses asylum seekers.

UK police arrested the rioters for inciting violence, and several have now been convicted and sentenced by the court.

The 53-year-old Julie Sweeney was sent to 15 months in prison for sharing a message on social media, which read, “Blow the mosques up with the adults in it.”

Julie Sweeney admitted to making threats after her arrest and said, "I'm not being rude, but a lot of people are saying it."

"So-called keyboard warriors like her have to learn to take responsibility for their language," Judge Steven Everett said while sentencing her at Chester Crown Court.

In the aftermath of the violence, 1,024 people were detained and 575 were formally accused of crime, the National Police Chiefs’ Council said.

Several individuals, including a 13-year-old girl and a 60-year-old man, were sentenced for their involvement in the unrest and for interfering with the police.

Previously, the British Prime Minister condemned the violence as "far-right thuggery" and assured that the perpetrators would face consequences.

He maintained that people in the UK "have a right to be safe" and yet we've seen "Muslim communities targeted... Nazi salutes in the street".

"I won't shy away from calling it what it is - far-right thuggery," he added.

The UK Home Secretary announced a new security plan to protect mosques from violent attacks, allowing them to request immediate support from security personnel while threatened by riots.