Suspended Labour councillor cleared of encouraging violent disorder at rally

A Labour councillor who called for far-right protesters' throats to be cut at an anti-racism rally has been found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder.

Ricky Jones, 58, has been on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court after he called demonstrators "disgusting Nazi fascists" and said "we need to get rid of them all" while addressing a crowd in Walthamstow on 7 August last year.

Mr Jones told police his remarks, captured on video, were "ill-advised" and not intended to incite or encourage violence.

The Dartford councillor, who has since been suspended by the Labour Party, had denied the charge.

He was arrested the day after making the comments and told the court he felt it was his "duty" to attend counter-protests.

A video showing Mr Jones addressing crowds in Walthamstow last year went viral on social media after the protest, which had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.