Thomas Birley, a 27-year-old British man, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday for committing arson at a hotel housing asylum seekers last month. This is the longest sentence handed down in connection with recent anti-Muslim riots.
Birley, who pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life, ignited a fire in a bin placed by the entrance of a hotel near Rotterdam, northern England, on August 4. He further fueled the blaze by adding wood to the already-burning industrial bin, which was positioned in front of a fire door while hotel staff and guests were inside.
Prosecutor Elisha Kay described the situation as dire, with hotel staff barricading themselves in a panic room and fearing they would die in the fire. In addition to arson, Thomas Birley also pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon. Judge Jeremy Richardson, who sentenced Birley at Sheffield Crown Court, condemned his actions as “suffused with racism from beginning to end.”
Judge Richardson noted that Birley was incited by harmful and ignorant social media posts. “You were a leading participant in ignorant, racist attempts at mob rule,” the judge said.
The hotel was among the targets of about 400 rioters during several days of violence, arson, and looting, which followed the deaths of three young girls in Southport on July 29. Initially, an Islamist migrant was falsely blamed for the attack due to online misinformation.
A protest in Southport on the day after the killings turned violent, sparking riots across the country, leading to around 1,300 arrests and approximately 200 convictions. Prior to Friday, the longest sentence for riot-related offenses had been six years for violent disorder, with others facing charges for inciting racial or religious hatred online.
