Two people have now been arrested arising out of the disruption of a Swale Borough Council meeting two weeks ago.
The council meeting was to include a discussion of a motion, proposed by Liberal Democrat councillor Hannah Perkin, to make Swale a “district of sanctuary” for asylum seekers.
Balaclavas
More than 50 protesters – including men wearing balaclavas – attended the meeting, during which councillors were abused and council property was damaged.
Amongst the leaders were ‘Fash Harry’ Hilden and Jodie Scott aka MissusKent.
The meeting had to be temporarily abandoned when the demonstrators made it impossible to carry on.
In advance, far-right activists flooded local Facebook groups with distorted claims about the motion, falsely presenting it as a plan to impose asylum accommodation on communities without consultation and import hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers into the area.
The subsequent disruption was not a spontaneous outbreak of “public anger”, but the predictable result of a sustained online campaign of misinformation, intimidation and mobilisation by far-right activists and their fellow-travellers.
The attack was later raised in the Commons by local MP Kevin McKenna.
The fallout did not end when the meeting was temporarily adjourned. It was later reported that one councillor was subjected to homophobic abuse during the meeting and afterwards.
Lib dem councillor Ben Martin of Faversham reported a series of threats the following evening. He said these included “criminal damage, homophobic slurs and threats of violence and sexual violence against myself and my property”.
Police have confirmed that they are investigating reports of malicious communications, and additional security measures have been put in place.
‘Criminal thugs’
Martin himself has made clear that he will not be intimidated into silence, describing those responsible as “criminal thugs” and thanking colleagues, neighbours and police for their support.
A further development came with the arrest of a 12-year-old boy on suspicion of criminal damage after the council’s Sittingbourne offices were vandalised during the meeting.
A few days later a second teenager was arrested, also on suspicion of having caused criminal damage.
Toilets were smashed, taps were left running causing water damage that forced the building to close, and a lift was badly damaged. The repair bill is expected to run into thousands of pounds.
‘Enemies of the people’
Far-right activists were quick to seize on the arrest, claiming it somehow absolved them of responsibility. But responsibility does not evaporate simply because a suspect is young, nor does it erase the weeks of incitement that framed councillors as enemies of “the people” and incited confrontation.
Undeterred, some right-wing activists have doubled down. Videos circulated online congratulating Sittingbourne for “fighting back”, with one far-right content creator praising protesters for supposedly defeating “sanctimonious virtue signalers”.
Others mocked media coverage of the disturbances, dismissing the vandalism as a distraction, or insisting that councillors had brought events on themselves.
However, tellingly, many of the celebratory online posts have now been removed.
Blurred lines
Local Reform activists blurred the line between condemnation and justification. Statements condemning violence were paired with claims that such incidents were inevitable because people “don’t feel heard”.
And during the disruption one Reform councillor, Peter MacDonald, was filmed chatting jovially with the demonstrators.
More troubling still has been the continued targeting of Cllr Perkin herself, who has been subjected to personal attacks, abuse and misogynistic commentary online, including by individuals who played a role in mobilising attendance at the meeting.
Undermining democracy
As police investigations continue, one thing is certain: democracy at local level depends on elected representatives being able to do their jobs without facing abuse or threats of violence.
Those who claim to champion “free speech” while cheering intimidation are not defending democracy. They are actively undermining it.
