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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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A fundraiser set up for a UK woman who was jailed over her social media activity has raised over $100,000.
Since October, Lucy Connolly, who used to work with children and is married to a former local politician, has been serving a 31-month sentence for inciting racial hatred because of X (formerly Twitter) posts.
She is challenging the sentence, saying she did not intend to incite violence, and now a fundraiser has been launched to "rebuild her shattered life."
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The Context
Connolly was jailed for a post on X in which she wrote: "Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it."
Her tweets were posted on July 29, 2024 - the same day that 17-year-old Axel Munganwa Rudakubana carried out a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance event in Southport, a U.K. town near Liverpool. He killed three children and is serving life in jail for his crimes.
She deleted the post three-and-a-half hours later and posted an apology several days later. She was then arrested on 6 August. At this point, she had deleted her social media account, but officers who seized her phone said they found other messages containing racist remarks on her device.
What To Know
At the time of writing, Connolly has raised £80,816 ($108,098.27) through the fundraiser, "Help Lucy Connolly rebuild her shattered life and fight two-tier justice"
"Lucy Connolly has paid a high price for a moment of anger. An unimaginably terrible price," the fundraiser read.
"Hardly anyone thinks Lucy Connolly deserved a custodial sentence," it continued. "There is no proof her tweet stirred up racism or violence. She was expressing the anguish and frustration felt by millions of British people."
It added that her husband had to sell their family car and other possessions to pay her legal fees, and bills are rising, given Connolly is in jail and unable to work.
Meanwhile, in a Court of Appeal appearance from HMP Drake Hall in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, last Thursday, Connolly said she did not mean to incite violence and that she was "really angry, really upset" and "distressed that those children had died."
The court heard that her son had died 14 years ago and that the attacks had reignited anxiety.
She said that she did not realize that by pleading guilty, she was accepting that she intended to incite violence.
What People Are Saying
Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice after a hearing last week, her husband, Raymond Connolly, said: "It's 279 days now my daughter's been without her mother. I'm hoping that within a week, she'll be home, and this will come to a positive conclusion. Can't really say no more than that."
Jo Phillips, an award-winning journalist from the UK, said on GBNews.com: "She pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred; she knew exactly what she was doing, and I think it's quite right that she was sent to prison because it sends a message. The term may have been too long, but I think it sends a very clear message...The message is you have to have a look at the consequences of what you say."
What Happens Next
Following the latest hearing last Thursday, the Appeal Court judges said they would issue a written judgment "as soon as possible."
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