Attacked journalist Owen Jones ‘topic of far-right abuse’

Guardian columnist Owen Jones has been the topic of an “unrelenting” marketing campaign of abuse by far-right sympathisers, a courtroom has heard.

Mr Jones, 35, made the feedback throughout a listening to of a person accused of launching a homophobic assault on him on the Lexington pub in Islington final yr.

James Healy, 40, allegedly focused Mr Jones due to his media profile as a left-wing and LGBQT rights activist.

He admits the assault however denies it was motivated by Mr Jones’s sexuality.

The defendant mentioned he didn’t know who Mr Jones was, claiming he assaulted him as a result of he barged him contained in the north London pub, spilling his drink, and didn’t apologise.

Mr Jones suffered cuts and swelling to his again and head and bruises all down his physique within the assault which occurred on his birthday evening out on 17 August.

In his proof at Snaresbrook Crown Courtroom, Mr Jones mentioned: “I am an unapologetic socialist, I am an anti-racist, I am an anti-fascist and I’ve constantly used my profile to advocate left-wing causes.”

Mr Jones has nearly a million Twitter followers, 125,000 followers on Instagram and 350,000 followers on Fb.

“What I take advantage of these platforms for is to advocate left-wing concepts and a ardour and unwavering dedication to opposing racism, fascism, Islamophobia and homophobia,” he informed the courtroom.

“Nearly each single day I’m the topic of an unrelenting marketing campaign [of abuse] by far-right sympathisers.

“They’ve come to see me as this hate determine of their ranks.”

Mr Jones mentioned he acquired loss of life threats each day, including: “It is the mix of being left-wing, homosexual, anti-fascist – that is the whole lot the far proper hate.”

‘Attacked from behind’

Describing the night of the assault, Mr Jones mentioned: “My recollection is that I used to be saying goodbye to a good friend after which I used to be on the ground fully disoriented.

“In these 10 seconds, I do not actually bear in mind what occurred as a result of I used to be attacked from behind, I had no sense of what was going to occur.”

When requested concerning the declare he had knocked Mr Healy’s drink, he mentioned: “That completely didn’t occur.

“If I believed I had unintentionally spilled somebody’s drink, I’d apologise profusely, I’d say, ‘I am so sorry’ and I’d insist – whether or not they preferred it or not – on shopping for them one other drink.”

Following Mr Healy’s arrest, a search of his residence revealed {a photograph} of him performing a Nazi salute.

The courtroom heard the picture confirmed Mr Healy as a youngster however had been printed out in 2015.

Mr Healy additionally allegedly had a soccer hooligan flag adorned with SS symbols and a set of pin badges linked to white supremacist teams.

He informed the courtroom: “I am a hoarder. I by no means throw something away. I simply had all of them that point tucked away behind a drawer.

“Taking into consideration they got here into my possession in 1998, there was no web again then, the knowledge now’s simply accessible.

“So far as I knew, they had been linked to soccer and soccer violence.”

The courtroom heard Healy has a string of convictions for soccer violence and is at present topic to a soccer banning order for encroaching on a pitch.

The defendant, who has admitted affray and assault occasioning precise bodily hurt, is dealing with a trial of problem to find out his motivation for attacking Mr Jones.

Mr Healy, from Portsmouth, is because of be sentenced on 11 February.