Britain First deputy leader charged over Belfast rally
The deputy leader of far-right group Britain First was arrested in London over a speech made at a rally in Belfast this summer.
Last updated 19th Nov 2017
Jayda Fransen, 31, from Penge, south east London, was arrested in Bromley by PSNI detectives on Saturday.
She was brought to Northern Ireland for questioning and on Sunday evening a police spokesperson said she had been charged and would be appearing in court next month:
"A 31 year old woman arrested by PSNI Criminal Investigation Branch Detectives in London yesterday (Saturday 18 November) has been charged with using threatening, abusive, insulting words or behaviour.
"She is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court on Thursday 14 December."
Ms Fransen and Britain First leader Paul Golding were in Belfast on August 6 for a demonstration by around 50 people calling themselves Northern Ireland Against Terrorism, which took place on the same day as a republican march organised by the Anti-Internment League to mark the use of detention without trial by the British Army during the height of the Troubles in 1971.
On Saturday Mr Golding, posted a video on his Twitter feed describing what happened when Ms Fransen was detained.
He said: A large group of plain clothes police detectives from Belfast of all places jumped out of nowhere and have arrested Jayda.
What have they arrested her for? Both of us addressed, made a speech, at a public demonstration outside Belfast City Hall all the way back in August.
The detective I spoke to told me she is being flown to Belfast tonight to be interrogated.
It's absolutely ridiculous - this is non-stop with me and Jayda, non-bloody stop.''
He said his colleague had been arrested for no bloody reason''.