Pair jailed for affray after clash between rival protesters

Two men have been jailed for an attack on “pro-EDL” protesters after rival demonstrations in Leeds, with a judge warning that “severe sentences will follow” for anyone taking part in the violence.

Leeds Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of a group of Asian men kicking and punching a smaller group of four white men, one of whom was draped in a Union flag and wearing a Union flag mask, on Saturday afternoon on Great George Street, in the city.

Sameer Ali, 21, of West Park Drive, Leeds, and Adnan Ghafoor, 31, of Spen Bank, Leeds, both admitted affray earlier this week.

On Friday, Ali was jailed for 20 months and Ghafoor was jailed for 18 months, with Ghafoor being ordered to serve an additional 12 months for breaching an unrelated suspended sentence.

Graham O’Sullivan, representing Ali, said his client was provoked by “Islamophobic threats and abuse” from the group of white men, including comments like “f*** Allah” and the use of racial slurs.

Frances Pencheon, defending Ghafoor, said: “It was a short-lived moment of madness against a backdrop of what was said to him, and a backdrop of what was happening in town that day.”

Jailing the pair, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl KC, said: “Given the nationwide context of the violence, and in order to provide punishment and deterrence in accordance with the overarching principles of sentencing, severe sentences will follow for those found to have participated in incidents of violence.”

He added: “The actions of the two of you are not to be viewed in isolation.

“This was a group attack involving in excess of 10 men in the circumstances of a heightened state of public concern and anxiety to which you have contributed.

“Those who were attacked were kicked and punched by your group.”

Ali appeared for the hearing in the packed courtroom by videolink from prison, while Ghafoor appeared in the dock with two security guards.

Both men had been part of a group of hundreds of anti-racism demonstrators who gathered outside Leeds Art Gallery on Saturday to oppose a much smaller anti-immigration rally, described in court as a “pro-EDL (English Defence League)” protest.

Despite minor scuffles with police after the anti-immigration protesters marched through the city centre, the event passed off relatively peacefully compared with a number of similar events elsewhere.

Published: 09/08/2024 by Radio NewsHub