Man fined for posting anti-Muslim comments on Facebook after newspaper reported teenage radicalisation story

Scottish paper, the Press and Journal, reports on the conviction of a man for  racially aggravated breach of the peace after he posted offensive comments about Muslims on a Facebook page.

Liam Calder was sentenced at Inverness Sheriff Court after he reacted to a news report in the Press and Journal about a Scottish teenager being radicalised by posting expletive-ridden, error strewn messages on his social media page.

Calder, who will be competing in the forthcoming Scottish Strongman and Powerlifting Championships, posted the comments: “Inverness!! I have a mosque on my doorstep. Get all these (expletive) back to there own countrys, shouldn’t be aloud to preach over hear! And as far as that little 18 year old, name and shame the little (expletive).”

One online poster stated extremists should be sent back to the desert, to which Calder responded: “It ain’t even a religion that they follow, it is a cult.”

Calder was charged after officers were ordered to patrol social media sites to look out for retaliation. Calder’s comments were not reported to the police by a member of the public. The police identified the posts and charged Calder.

Calder argued the posts were not intended for a wider public saying they were private adding, “There wasn’t much difference between my sentiments and that of Donald Trump. There was no complaint by any member of the public.”

Calder has since quit Facebook.

Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood at Inverness Sheriff Court said: “I can think of few examples that I have seen that more than meet the requirements of an abusive and threatening racist breach of the peace.”

Calder was found guilty of making racially aggravated offensive comments on Facebook and fined £700.