An English teenager waved his country’s flag at a protest and shouted at the police – sentenced to 2 years

A teenager who waved a St. George’s flag outside an Islamic center in Scarborough and shouted at the police has been sentenced to more than two years in prison.

18-year-old James Martin was one of three young men who were “marching” towards the Roscoe Street Islamic Center and the adjacent mosque, according to York Crown Court – reported by The Scarborough News.

Wearing a bandana, cap, and St. George’s flag in his pocket, Martin marched down the street while the police followed him, said prosecutor Aimilia Katsoulakis.

The police were on red alert that day as recent civil unrest had swept through the country.

Fears that “widespread unrest” might break out in Scarborough did not materialize, and most of the officers deployed to the city on August 8 were stood down by evening.

However, police chiefs maintained a police presence on Roscoe Street, where the Islamic Center and mosque are located.

Patrolling officers followed Martin’s group down Roscoe Street as they headed towards the Islamic Center shortly after 10 p.m.

The prosecutor said Martin and his two companions stopped outside the center, started shouting and swearing, while the police tried to maintain peace and push them back.

“The defendant was wearing a face covering and a cap, and was waving an English flag”

– Mrs. Katsoulakis said.

“He was shouting, swearing, and displaying conduct capable of causing harassment or violence.

“Many members of the Muslim community were outside the (Islamic) center praying at that moment.” she said.

Martin, from Riggs Head in Scarborough, shouted derogatory remarks at the men praying at the mosque, while residents watched the disturbance from their windows.

“He was originally arrested to prevent a breach of the peace,” she added. “However, he continued to show disruptive behavior and insisted on not leaving the area.”

Footage from a body-worn police camera showed officers urging Martin and his companions to leave the area, but they ignored the request.

One man protested against Prime Minister Keir Starmer and claimed there was a “double standard” in the police force in the country. (referring to Muslims hunting down patriots with guns but not being sent to prison…)

When asked for his name and details, Martin was not willing to disclose them publicly, but he was identified based on documents and cards in his wallet. While searching him, they also found a “transparent plastic bag containing a lighter.”
When asked why he was waving the English flag in the street, he said people should be “proud” to display the flag.
After being handcuffed, the police offered him another chance to leave the area and avoid arrest, but he continued to refuse – they reported. He was arrested and “won’t deny what happened,” when asked by the officers.

When asked why he was waving the English flag in the street, he said people should be “proud” to display the flag.

He was unwilling to say why he had a lighter with him, and when asked if he had any remorse or “issues with the people living in the Islamic Center,” he again refused to comment.

Katsoulakis said Martin, who worked as a bricklayer’s apprentice, had never been before the courts. She described the incident as a “significant disturbance” witnessed by “many people,” and it appears to be linked to civil unrest happening in other parts of the country.

She said 30 police officers were present on the scene, along with a police car.

The judge said:

“He marched down that street with a lighter in his pocket, where the (Islamic) center is.

– He rightly pleaded guilty to possessing these items with the intention to cause damage by fire.

“If he had continued, the consequences would have been fatal.

– He may have just wanted to set a bin on fire, who knows?

“But you armed yourself and marched down that street because you were motivated by not liking others because of their skin or religion, and the courts will not tolerate this.”

The judge added: “The police showed incredible patience and tolerance trying to defuse the situation.

“Everyone in this country lives under the king’s peace, whether British subjects or not, and the police are there to uphold the law and order so that everyone can live in a civilized society, and this kind of behavior is unacceptable in a civilized society.

“I have read the recommendations and the letter from his family, whom he has let down very much.

“They are very decent people, and they are surely at a loss because today they saw the recording in court, and they saw the other side, masked, swearing, speaking rudely to the police, and unwilling to leave the area.

“This offense requires immediate imprisonment because it must serve as a deterrent for other working men, previously convicted at 18, to recognize that actions have consequences.

“Whether these actions happen online or on the street, the court preserves peace by deterring others from such acts.”

Martin was sentenced to two years and two months in prison, but will only serve half of it behind bars before being released on license.

Another suspect in the same case was also arrested. He was released on bail while the investigation continued.