Jailed Colin McNeil from Leeds inspired 18-year-old Payton Gendron who went on to murder 10 people in a mass shooting at a grocery shop in Buffalo, USA, in 2022. A far-right extremist who operated two websites that spread far-right propaganda and encouraged terrorism has been jailed. Colin McNeil inspired 18-year-old Payton Gendron who went on to murder 10 people in a mass shooting at a grocery shop in Buffalo, USA, in 2022, with prosecutors showing he engaged with the sites liking and commenting on the racist material hosted on them. McNeil, 46, from Leeds did not create the material but provided a platform for it to reach its audience. The sites featured racist documents, images and videos glorifying Hitler, the Nazis and prominent Neo-Nazis. They also honoured men who committed racist mass killings, including Brenton Tarrant, who murdered 51 people in and around two mosques in Christchurch New Zealand in 2019. McNeil benefited financially from the websites, receiving donations from users, and also used the sites to express his own racist views. One of the sites, which operated like a typical social media platform, had 5,716 members, with 255,960 photos and 6,499 videos uploaded. The other site, set up for videos, hosted 12,345 members and contained 79,284 videos. This site also had an option to upgrade to a “pro” member for $50, which would allow the user to post ad-free videos, sell videos, and to livestream. McNeil pleaded guilty to four offences of disseminating a terrorist publication at Sheffield Crown Court on April 11, 2024. Today he was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment.
via mirror: Far-right extremist who inspired mass shooting with Nazi websites jailed for seven years