A 27-year-old British man was sentenced to nine years in prison for arson and violent disorder at a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, northern England, during anti-Muslim riots, Reuters reports.
Thomas Birley, who admitted to arson with intent to endanger life, set fire to a bin placed in front of the hotel’s fire door on August 4, endangering the lives of hotel staff and guests sheltered inside. The hotel staff had to barricade themselves to escape the fire. He also pleaded guilty to violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon, his actions were described as racially motivated.
The incident was part of a larger wave of anti-Muslim riots that erupted following false online claims linking the deaths of three young girls in Southport to an Islamist migrant. The riots, which spread across the UK, led to approximately 1,300 arrests and around 200 convictions. Birley’s sentence is the longest given for these riots, surpassing the previous six-year sentence for violent disorder.
