Suspended Reform councillor says post was 'naughty'
PAWarning: Some readers may find language in this story offensive
A suspended Reform UK councillor has said a social media post he made about Nigerians in 2024 was "naughty" but denied it was grossly offensive.
Sunderland City councillor Glenn Gibbins denies breaching the Communications Act by posting a grossly offensive message on Facebook in March 2024, two years before he was elected.
The post came to light after the 66-year-old, who is on trial at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court, was elected to represent the Hylton Castle ward in May. He was suspended by Reform in August.
Prosecutor Emma Dowling said his post conjured up "despicable" images. However, Gibbins said: "It was tongue-in-cheek, a bit naughty, but I thought it was fun."
Gibbins' post said: "Carnt believe the amount of nigerians in town… should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes!! [sic]"
Police were informed about the post after Gibbins was successfully voted in during local elections.
Dowling said the comment about melting Nigerians down implied they were "somewhat less than human, stripping people in that group of humanity".
Godwin Ejeh, a community leader in Sunderland's Nigerian community, gave evidence to say he led a protest outside the City Hall building when Gibbins should have been sworn in, hoping the councillor would apologise.
However, Gibbins had already been suspended by Reform after the post came to light and he did not attend the ceremony.
Ejeh, who stood as a Liberal Democrat councillor in the May elections, denied trying to make political capital from the situation.
He told the court: "We are talking about humanity here, it's way beyond politics."
'Tongue-in-cheek'
Gibbins, a divorced former salesman who runs a stall in Sunderland city centre which prints novelty gifts, told the court it was a tongue-in-cheek joke.
"It was an unreal scenario," he said. "No-one took it literally."
Gibbins recalled on the day he made the post, some Nigerians had approached him about buying some of his printing equipment.
He said he had "banter" with them at his stall and the conversation had been good fun.
That night, after "a couple of cans of beer", he said he saw a post on Facebook about Nigerians which he tried to share without success, so he typed it out and posted it to his public Facebook profile.
When Dowling asked him what reaction he intended, Gibbins said: "It was tongue-in-cheek, a bit naughty, but I thought it was fun."
Asked by Dowling what was funny about the post, Gibbins replied: "It's an unreal scenario, you cannot melt people down, anyone that takes that literally... you cannot do that."
He said: "I wouldn't dream of joking about killing people."
'Unfunny'
Gibbins said he was not particularly political when he was approached by Reform about becoming a councillor in March 2026, but thought it would be a source of income "to tide me over" when business was quieter in the summer.
He also said he had enjoyed helping residents in the brief period when he was not suspended.
Summarising the prosecution case, Dowling said the post was grossly offensive and dehumanising.
She said it was shared "for no reason whatsoever other than to offend and humiliate people from Nigeria who live in Sunderland".
Adam King, defending, said the post was "unfunny" and "an unpleasant joke/non-joke".
He said professional comedians such as Jo Brand had joked about throwing acid on Nigel Farage and Jimmy Carr about gypsies in the Holocaust and they had not been prosecuted.
Even if the district judge found the post was grossly offensive, she had to be sure Gibbins intended it to be and could be taken as such, King said.
The district judge said she would give her verdict later on Monday.