Lancashire Councillor Cleared of Hate Crime Charges after Facebook Post

Michael Lavalette, an independent councillor representing Preston Central, has been cleared of hate crime charges related to a Facebook post made earlier this month. The post, which included the words "There is only one solution - Intifada, Revolution", was investigated by Lancashire Constabulary, who consulted with the Crown Prosecution Service before deciding not to take further action. The investigation followed two complaints lodged against Lavalette, who had captioned an image of a demonstration against the ongoing war in Gaza.

Lavalette, who has denied advocating violence against Jews, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the outcome was a response to a "small and vocal minority" who had sought to silence him and other Palestinian protesters in Preston. He stated that he was relieved by the outcome, adding that the experience had left him feeling intimidated.

Key Takeaways:

• Lancashire Councillor Michael Lavalette was investigated by police for a Facebook post deemed to be potentially hate-filled
• The post, which included the word "Intifada", was investigated under Section 18 of the Public Order Act
• Two complaints were made against Lavalette, which were lodged with Lancashire County Council, but were dismissed on the basis that the post was from a personal social media account
• A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council stated that the authority does not endorse the views expressed in the post, but reminded Lavalette of his responsibilities in public office
• Lavalette denied advocating violence against Jews, stating that his "anti-racist" beliefs made it difficult to answer questions put to him by police
• Lavalette stated that he was "relieved" by the outcome of the investigation, adding that the experience had left him feeling intimidated

Statistics:

• 6,000 deaths occurred on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• 62,211 Gazans have died in Israel's military response
• 1,200 Israelis were killed in the October 7th attack
• 200 Israelis were taken hostage
• 15 minutes of Lavalette's police interview consisted of his solicitor reading out a prepared statement exploring the complexities surrounding the concept of an intifada

Sources:

• Lancashire Constabulary statement
• Local Democracy Reporting Service
• Encyclopedia Britannica (definition of intifada)