Jail for man who chanted racist insults at police during Whitehall disorder

A man who chanted “Who the f*** is Allah” at a line of police officers during disorder in Whitehall has been jailed for 24 weeks for racially aggravated harassment.

Jordan Rawlings, 25, from Ritson Avenue, Bearpark, Durham, was among more than 700 people who gathered for a protest opposite Downing Street at around 6.30pm on July 31, following a similar demonstration in Southport, a court heard.

The protest breached the area that had been agreed with the Metropolitan Police and, as it moved towards Parliament Square, the defendant was filmed shouting at a line of officers in riot gear.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that the group had moved towards the Sir Winston Churchill statue, when Rawlings and others chanted “Allah, Allah, who the f*** is Allah?”

He was also seen to be making gestures towards the police.

Video played in court showed a group of men also shouting “You’re not English any more” and calling the officers “scum”.

Rawlings was initially arrested at the scene, de-arrested when the situation was under control, then re-arrested at Darlington railway station when he was trying to travel to London on August 8, following further analysis of CCTV by police.

At his first appearance before magistrates, Rawlings, who has no previous convictions, admitted causing harassment, alarm or distress that was racially aggravated.

Gary Wood, defending, said: “He has clearly been swept away with the behaviour that was going on and it is behaviour he very much regrets.”

Mr Wood said his client did not throw missiles, fight police, cover his face or threaten violence.

Judge Francis Laird KC told Rawlings his behaviour was set against a backdrop of “acts of civil disobedience that were developing nationwide”.

The judge said: “You chose to be part of an organised and largescale act of civil unrest.

“In the course of that you were part of a group that was aggressive towards police officers and chanting racist insults.”

The judge said a suspended sentence was inappropriate and jailed him for 24 weeks.