Darren Osborne, above, has been jailed for at least 43 years after being found guilty of murder and attempted murder over his vicious attack with a van in Finsbury Park, North London, last year. Osborne had also admitted in court that he wished to killed Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader and Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor.

Osborne had a political agenda and his vile acts should be seen in that context.

Justice Cheema-Grubb told Osborne the jury in his trial had seen though his “pathetic last-ditch attempt to deceive them”. She said he was “rapidly radicalised over the internet by those determined to spread hatred of Muslims”. “Your use of Twitter exposed you to racists and anti-Islamic ideology,” she went on, “you allowed your mind to be poisoned by those who claimed to be leaders.” Ms Cheema Grubb clearly had people like the fascist Britain First and ex EDL thug, Tommy Robinson in mind.

It was shown in court that Osborne had followed online both Robinson and Britain First, the latter of whose leaders are currently on trial for a variety of charges including religiously aggravated harassment.

The court had earlier heard a statement from Razina Akhtar, the daughter of Mr Ali, who said she had had “recurring nightmares” since her father was killed. “The incident was near to our house and I walk past it most days. It keeps me awake at night thinking about the attack.”

She said her mother, Mr Ali’s widow, was too scared to go outside by herself, in her fear of being attacked. “My father was the most sincere and warmest person I know. He was full of jokes and laughter, and full of love for his family and grandchildren. His life was taken in a cruel way by a narrow-minded, heartless being,”

Osborne’s pathetic and insulting attempt to claim others (a ‘Dave’ and ‘Terry’) were involved, were as was pointed out in court, figments of his foul imagination.

Our sister organisation, Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) held a vigil in solidarity, at Finsbury Park Mosque, shortly after the awful attack. Jeremy Corbyn among others, attended.
http://www.standuptoracism.org.uk/hundreds-gather-finsbury-park-mosque-vigil-oppose-islamophobia/

It was said in court that Osborne became “brainwashed” after watching a drama about the Rochdale grooming sex scandal. However, he was clearly a far right supporter. He had denied deliberately running down,51-year-old Makram Ali. Mr Ali died of his injuries. Nine other people were also injured on 19 June.

Days before his attack, Osborne followed Tommy Robinson’s tweets concerning an alleged rape in Sunderland, which read in part,”….police let the suspects go and why?
It is because the suspects are refugees from Syria and Iraq, it’s a national outrage”.
Robinson had also tweeted to Osborne over the Manchester, terror attack, in May, of 2017, in which twenty three people were killed.
The fascist, deputy leader of Britain First, Jayda Fransen, also was someone who Osborne followed online.

UAF has long documented and campaigned against the far right. Fascists such as Britain First and those such as Tommy Robinson, have an appalling history of seeking to inflame Islamophobia.
Osborne stands alongside those such as David Copeland, the BNP nailbomber who murdered three people, in London, in 1999. One was a young pregnant woman. Like Copeland, Osborne took up the propaganda of the far right, in the most deadly way.

More recently, of course, Jo Cox MP, was murdered by a white supremacist, in 2016. The man who killed Mrs Cox was another who had been influenced by various fascist groups.

Weyman Bennett – UAF Joint Secretary, commented,
“This verdict, coming shortly after we remember the Holocaust, should be a wake up call. Donald Trump’s re tweeting of fascist Britain First has encouraged a toxic climate, and people like Osborne and fascists who influenced him, are the poisonous result. The encouragement of islamophobia and anti Semitism is truly criminal.
Lifelong anti fascists like Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan being targeted, shows the result of such far right hate.
We must continue to oppose the far right”.