LONDON, Nov 5 — A Chelsea fan who posted anti-Semitic and racist tweets aimed at fans of rival club Tottenham — including photos of Auschwitz and a man doing a Nazi salute — was today jailed for eight weeks.
Nathan Blagg, 21, who told police the tweets were “banter between mates”, pleaded guilty to seven counts of sending offensive messages.
District Judge Michael Hamilton told Blagg only immediate custody would be a suitable punishment for the “abhorrent and grossly offensive” tweets.
“Quite frankly, the content of these messages was despicable,” he said. “References to the Holocaust and other matters cannot on any view ever be categorised as banter.”
Prosecutor David Roberts said the tweets about the Tottenham side were more offensive in the context of “a history of association with the Jewish community”.
Blagg, described as a life-long Chelsea supporter, posted a picture of the train tracks to Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz on Twitter with the message: “Spurs are on their way to Auschwitz”, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
Another post featured a fake image of former health secretary Matt Hancock holding a microphone saying the same words.
Blagg’s tweets were investigated by the security team at Chelsea, who passed them on to police, after they were spotted by a West Brom fan.
Maeve Thornton, representing Blagg, said he had left Twitter and was “deeply remorseful.” — AFP
