Jayda Fransen, 31, the deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First who was recently approvingly retweeted by President Trump, has been given bail at the weekend after she appeared at the Protestant side of the Belfast peace wall and made threatening remarks about Islam.
Fransen used the Loyalist slogan “no surrender” after her release, before leaving in a waiting car.
Read More: Britain First leaders arrested in Belfast, 2 weeks after Trump retweet
She was in court in Belfast charged over comments about Islam on social media and during her speeches in Belfast. It was her second time in Northern Ireland supporting Loyalists. In August, she also appeared at a hardline Loyalist rally in the city.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DONALD TRUMP, HAS RETWEETED THREE OF DEPUTY LEADER JAYDA FRANSEN'S TWITTER VIDEOS! DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF HAS RETWEETED THESE VIDEOS AND HAS AROUND 44 MILLION FOLLOWERS! GOD BLESS YOU TRUMP! GOD BLESS AMERICA! OCS @JaydaBF @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/BiQfQkTra9
— Jayda Fransen (@JaydaBF) November 29, 2017
She was hardly known during her August visit but now she as become a fascist celebrity after Trump approvingly tweeted her.
Fransen, on this latest occasion, was filmed beside a peace wall dividing Catholics from Protestants in the city and stating that all of Britain would need peace walls soon because of Islamic terrorism.
U.S. President Donald Trump.
She won worldwide recognition when Trump tweeted links to three anti-Islamic videos she had featured on her social media. The videos in several cases were found to have been inaccurate, in one case highlighting an attack on a young handicapped man in Holland which was not done by any Isamic group.
Point of Order raised in British House of Commons regarding President Trump's tweets. pic.twitter.com/w4ZIDMMZGo
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 29, 2017
The videos were captioned “Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!”, “Muslim destroys a statue of Virgin Mary!” and “Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!”
Fransen got bail despite Northern Irish police objecting to her release after a short hearing before a district judge in Belfast magistrates’ court.
Fransen will appear before that court again next month.
So POTUS has endorsed the views of a vile, hate-filled racist organisation that hates me and people like me. He is wrong and I refuse to let it go and say nothing
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) November 29, 2017
Fransen raised her clenched fist after bail was granted bail despite a Northern Irish police officer stating she had incited people to “rise up and take action now” against the “Islamic ideology.” He raised concerns that further similar comments could lead to attacks on Muslims.
Judge Fiona Bagnall said she would issue strict bail conditions.
Outside court Fransen lashed out at the Police Service of Northern Ireland for her arrest accusing them of “political policing.”
“This is political policing, which is not what we stand for — we stand for democracy and free speech and this is a blatant attempt to prevent free speech,” she said.
I join the urgent call for President @realDonaldTrump to remove his Britain First retweets and make clear his opposition to racism and hatred. https://t.co/JosYO7vwEG pic.twitter.com/v66KQVtWQq
— Justin Welby ن (@JustinWelby) November 29, 2017
“I am expressing an opinion which I am entitled to do — men have fought, bled and died for that right and everything I have stated specifically about the Islamic ideology I can back up with facts straight from the Islamic scripture. This is a clear campaign to silence us and I assure you it won’t work.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May.
After Trump retweeted her work, reporters noted she was known to carry a large white cross through Muslin neighborhoods in Britain seeking to incite a backlash.
Trump was heavily criticized by the British prime minister, Theresa May, for the retweets.
Read More: Major anti-Muslim group Pegida to launch branch in Ireland
Britain First was founded by Jim Dowson, an anti-abortion campaigner linked to Ulster loyalist groups in Northern Ireland.
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