Labour councillor suspended and arrested after video emerges of him urging crowd to cut people’s throats

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A councillor suspended by Labour has been arrested over a speech at a counter demonstration calling for the throats of anti-immigration protesters to be cut.

Dartford councillor Ricky Jones has been suspended by the party over the video, which shows him in the middle of a cheering crowd at a protest in Walthamstow, east London, organised to stop the far-right from targeting asylum centres and the offices of lawyers helping asylum seekers.

In the speech on Wednesday evening, he said: “We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them.”

He followed his speech with leading a chant of “free, free Palestine.”

Police confirmed that they have arrested a man in his 50s in south-east London on suspicion of encouraging murder after a video emerged of a Labour councillor calling for far-right protesters' throats to be "cut".

The man has also been arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act following the incident in Kent on Wednesday evening, the Metropolitan Police said.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, in which the original video was linked, the force said: "Officers have arrested a man aged in his 50s at an address in south-east London.

"He was held on suspicion of encouraging murder and for an offence under the Public Order Act. He is in custody at a south London police station."

A Labour spokesperson said: “This behaviour is completely unacceptable and it will not be tolerated. The councillor has been suspended from the party.”

After the video emerged, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage took to Twitter claiming Mr Jones should be arrrested if a two tier legal system does not exist.

Tagging in the Metropolitan Police, he said: “This man should be arrested. If not, we know there is two-tier policing.”

In a rare moment of unity across the Brexit divide, Mike Galsworthy, chair of the pro-EU European Movement, also called for the councilllor to be arrested.

Also tagging in the Met, he tweeted: “This horrific man needs arresting - and all those visibly clapping here should have this video sent to their bosses and families.

“There’s no place for this murderous talk anywhere in our society.”

The Metropolitan Police has been approached about the incident in Walthamstow for comment.

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