A United Kingdom court has convicted a suspended Reform UK councillor, Glenn Gibbins, over a Facebook post suggesting that Nigerians living in his town should be melted down and used to fill potholes.

Gibbins, 66, who represents the Hylton Castle ward on Sunderland City Council, was found guilty of sending a grossly offensive message following a trial at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 9, 2026.

District Judge Zoe Passfield sentenced him to a 12-month community order, including 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay £650 in court costs and a £114 victim surcharge, bringing his total financial penalty to £764.

The controversial Facebook post was published in March 2024, more than two years before Gibbins was elected to Sunderland City Council.

In the post, he complained about the number of Nigerians in the town and suggested that they should be melted down and used to fill potholes.

The message became public after the campaign group Hope Not Hate examined his social media history ahead of the May 2026 local government elections.

Despite the controversy, Gibbins won the Hylton Castle ward election with 1,295 votes under the Reform UK platform.

The party initially suspended him after the post emerged but later reinstated him following an internal disciplinary process, reportedly issuing him a final written warning.

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However, he was suspended again after police charged him in July 2026.

During the trial, Gibbins admitted making the post but insisted that it was intended as a joke and should not be taken literally.

He told the court that he had consumed a couple of cans of beer on the night he published the message and had initially attempted to share a similar post written by someone else.

When that failed, he said he typed the message himself and published it on his public Facebook account.

Describing his intention, he maintained that it was a tongue-in-cheek remark rather than a serious threat against Nigerians.

However, prosecutors argued that the statement was grossly offensive and dehumanising because it portrayed Nigerians as people who could be exterminated and reduced to materials for road construction.

Delivering her verdict, Judge Passfield rejected the councillor’s explanation, saying the post specifically targeted Nigerians as an ethnic group and reduced their status as human beings to that of materials used to fill potholes.

She said the comment was neither a genuine political argument nor part of a wider discussion about immigration.

The judge also considered Gibbins’ right to freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights but concluded that the post was not a genuine expression of political views.

The court heard that the publication caused considerable distress among Nigerians living in Sunderland.

Godwin Ejeh, a leader in the Nigerian community, told the court that the post created fear among residents, particularly over their safety and that of their children.

He said the controversy prompted an emergency meeting within the community and a protest outside Sunderland City Hall, where Nigerians demanded an apology from the councillor.

Ejeh, who also contested a council seat under the Liberal Democrats during the May elections, denied suggestions that the matter was being used for political purposes.

He maintained that the issue was about human dignity and the safety of Nigerians living in the area.

Gibbins’ defence lawyer, Adam King, described the Facebook post as an unpleasant and unfunny joke, while raising concerns about the boundaries of freedom of expression.

The court was also told that Gibbins had no previous criminal convictions and had not committed any further offence since publishing the message in 2024.

Following the conviction, his legal team indicated that it intended to appeal the verdict at the Crown Court.

The case has attracted attention among Nigerians at home and abroad, particularly amid concerns about discrimination, xenophobia and the treatment of Nigerian communities in foreign countries.

A United Kingdom court has convicted a suspended Reform UK councillor, Glenn Gibbins, over a Facebook post suggesting that Nigerians living in his town should be melted down and used to fill potholes.

Gibbins, 66, who represents the Hylton Castle ward on Sunderland City Council, was found guilty of sending a grossly offensive message following a trial at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 9, 2026.

District Judge Zoe Passfield sentenced him to a 12-month community order, including 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay £650 in court costs and a £114 victim surcharge, bringing his total financial penalty to £764.

The controversial Facebook post was published in March 2024, more than two years before Gibbins was elected to Sunderland City Council.

In the post, he complained about the number of Nigerians in the town and suggested that they should be melted down and used to fill potholes.

The message became public after the campaign group Hope Not Hate examined his social media history ahead of the May 2026 local government elections.

Despite the controversy, Gibbins won the Hylton Castle ward election with 1,295 votes under the Reform UK platform.

The party initially suspended him after the post emerged but later reinstated him following an internal disciplinary process, reportedly issuing him a final written warning.

However, he was suspended again after police charged him in July 2026.

During the trial, Gibbins admitted making the post but insisted that it was intended as a joke and should not be taken literally.

He told the court that he had consumed a couple of cans of beer on the night he published the message and had initially attempted to share a similar post written by someone else.

When that failed, he said he typed the message himself and published it on his public Facebook account.

Describing his intention, he maintained that it was a tongue-in-cheek remark rather than a serious threat against Nigerians.

However, prosecutors argued that the statement was grossly offensive and dehumanising because it portrayed Nigerians as people who could be exterminated and reduced to materials for road construction.

Delivering her verdict, Judge Passfield rejected the councillor’s explanation, saying the post specifically targeted Nigerians as an ethnic group and reduced their status as human beings to that of materials used to fill potholes.

She said the comment was neither a genuine political argument nor part of a wider discussion about immigration.

The judge also considered Gibbins’ right to freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights but concluded that the post was not a genuine expression of political views.

The court heard that the publication caused considerable distress among Nigerians living in Sunderland.

Godwin Ejeh, a leader in the Nigerian community, told the court that the post created fear among residents, particularly over their safety and that of their children.

He said the controversy prompted an emergency meeting within the community and a protest outside Sunderland City Hall, where Nigerians demanded an apology from the councillor.

Ejeh, who also contested a council seat under the Liberal Democrats during the May elections, denied suggestions that the matter was being used for political purposes.

He maintained that the issue was about human dignity and the safety of Nigerians living in the area.

Gibbins’ defence lawyer, Adam King, described the Facebook post as an unpleasant and unfunny joke, while raising concerns about the boundaries of freedom of expression.

The court was also told that Gibbins had no previous criminal convictions and had not committed any further offence since publishing the message in 2024.

Following the conviction, his legal team indicated that it intended to appeal the verdict at the Crown Court.

The case has attracted attention among Nigerians at home and abroad, particularly amid concerns about discrimination, xenophobia and the treatment of Nigerian communities in foreign countries.