Charges were brought against Belfast resident, Glen Kane, following allegations that he was in possession of religious flyers that aimed to incite animosity towards immigrants. In Kane’s abode, the police found some copies of the contentious publication, along with far-right and loyalist paramilitary paraphernalia, which they believe may have been handed out.
Kane, a resident of Shankill’s Riga Street, faced Belfast’s Magistrates’ Court regarding the discovery made as part of a probe into the city’s racially-driven unruliness. He faced accusations of possessing offensive or provocative written materials meant to arouse hatred or fear.
Law enforcement officials confiscated a number of flags linked to the UVF and LVF, loyalist artifacts, merchandise related to Britain First, and a DVD of the British National Party from Kane’s house. They also uncovered around 100 copies of a document referring to the “immigration crisis” in the UK.
Alarm was expressed by a detective exploring the case about the content of the flyers. She claimed that certain elements seemed designed to provoke fear or antagonism towards immigrants of a specific faith if circulated and read by the public. She inferred from the quantity found that they were meant for distribution.
No charges have been brought against Kane related to the paramilitary or far-right political items found. Kane admitted during questioning by the police that he had attended a gathering at City Hall on August 3rd, claiming that he went solo to “observe” and had no part in the subsequent disorder. He asserts that several weeks prior, an anonymous person left two boxes of the contentious publication on his doorstep.
According to the detective, it seemed that some copies were missing from the boxes, raising suspicions that they had been disseminated. Kane’s bail was contested due to what local authorities have described as a significant surge in racially-motivated civil disorder, involving attacks on police, migrant shelters, and businesses owned by ethnic minorities.
The defence solicitor, Keith Gamble, challenged the charges, noting that a legitimate religious body registered in Northern Ireland and bearing a charity number had published the booklet, which could be easily downloaded from the web.
Mr Gamble emphasised that his client is not implicated in any of the unrest. “This individual desires no involvement,” he further stated.
Upon reviewing the publication, District Judge Michael Ranaghan determined there was sufficient proof to link Mr Kane to the accusation. “Although it may be a legal publication, its contents clearly intend to incite a type of hatred,” he commented, prior to authorising bail.
The case was postponed until the 9th of September.