A man has been charged over an antisemitic tweet targeting the Liverpool
Wavertree MP Luciana Berger.
Garron Helm, 21, of Thomson Road, Litherland has been charged with
sending an offensive/indecent/obscene message, Merseyside Police told the
Jewish News. He is due to appear before Liverpool magistrates on 20 October.
It’s the first time charges have been brought in the UK over an antisemitic
tweet against a high-profile figure and possibly against any individual.
lucianabergerThe case relates to tweet sent on 7 August from an account
called Aethelwulf. It showed a photograph of Berger with a Holocaust-era yellow
star superimposed on her forehead and the wording: “You can always count on a
Jew to show their true colours eventually.”
The tweet allegedly carried hashtags for Labour, Liverpool and ‘Hitler
was right’.
A police spokesman said: “Merseyside Police can confirm a man has been
charged in relation to an offensive tweet that was sent to a 33-year-old woman
on 8 August.”
A spokesman for the Commmunity Security Trust said: “This is a very
important case as it should demonstrate that the racist abuse of individuals
via twitter is liable to proper prosecution.”
