A man who threatened to burn mosques and kill Muslims on Facebook after last year’s Manchester and London attacks has argued that he is not a racist by telling the court that he has “Muslim friends”.
Andrew Littlefair, 50, faces jail after he called on people on Facebook to burn mosques and the Quran.
But now he claims to be living in fear of attack following his social media rant.
He said: “I live in a quiet street, and there are a lot of angry people at the moment.
“I live around a lot of Muslim people and I have Muslim friends who know I’m not racist, but it is the people who are not my friends that worry me.”
Following last Wednesday’s court hearing, Littlefair blamed alcohol and claims his words were taken “out of context”.
He said: “It was a stupid, drunken rant which I did after seeing pictures of all those bairns after the bombings.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
“Yes I had a few drinks on the night before and I’d opened a can that morning.
“But to say I want to kill Muslims – I mean, I couldn’t hurt a fly.
“And I know I shouldn’t have said Muslims – I should have said ISIS.
“ISIS are not people, they are brainwashing people.
“But I have Muslim friends and I’ve spoken to some and they are disappointed.
“But this doesn’t show me for who I am.”
He admitted six counts of publishing threatening religious material intending to stir up religious hatred.
Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard the starting point for this is 12 months custody.
Magistrates granted him unconditional bail to appear at Teesside Crown Court on a future date.
