A More in Common poll found fewer than one in five people (18%) think politicians should cosy up to Lucy Connolly, while more than half (51%) think they should keep their distance
Politicians have been warned against “making a hero” of Lucy Connolly as more than half of voters think they should distance themselves from her.
The 42-year-old was jailed for stirring up racial hatred after she tweeted that people should “set fire” to asylum hotels during last year’s Southport riots.
Since her release, she has claimed that she was a “political prisoner” – despite pleading guilty to inciting racial hatred with the now-deleted post on X.
Right-wing politicians have rushed to champion her, with Nigel Farage expected to share her story with Trump allies on a trip to Washington next week.
He is due to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on September 3 about freedom of expression in the UK
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But a poll by More in Common found fewer than one in five people (18%) think politicians should cosy up to Ms Connolly, while more than half (51%) think they should distance themselves.
Some 48% of Tory voters think politicians should steer clear, while just 22% say they should associate with her.
Even among Reform voters, only half (48%) think politicians should back her, with 28% saying they should keep their distance.
More than half of respondents said her 10-month prison sentence was either about right (32%) or too lenient (20%), while a third (35%) said it was too harsh.
Luke Tryl, Executive Director at More in Common, said: “While her arrest has become a major online talking point in ongoing debates about free speech and perceptions of two tier justice, politicians should be wary of making a hero of Lucy Connolly.
“Although a third of Britons think her sentence was too harsh, most people believe it was fair, or even too lenient.
“While some might think her sentence too harsh, that does not reflect widespread affection for Connolly or her cause and most aren’t enthusiastic about politicians embracing her: only one in five think they should associate with Connolly, while half say they should be distancing themselves from her.”
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