Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor in the UK, has been arrested after posting a shocking message online, urging people to “burn down” hotels housing asylum seekers. Her angry outburst came shortly after a tragic stabbing incident in Southport, which she linked to her anti-immigrant sentiments. Connolly has apologized, saying she acted out of intense emotion and misinformation. Despite her apology, her comments have led to widespread outrage and her arrest on charges of inciting racial hatred. Her husband, Tory councillor Raymond Connolly, has defended her, calling her actions a moment of misguided frustration.
Lucy Connolly, who is 41 and works as a childminder in Northampton, posted her hateful message on her X account (previously known as Twitter). She said: “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f**** hotels full of the b***** for all I care, while you’re at it take the treacherous government and politicians with them.” She added that she was sickened by what asylum-seeking families would have to endure and said she didn’t mind if her comments made her seem racist.
After her post received backlash, Connolly quickly deleted it and apologized. She explained that she had been reacting to “false and malicious” information and wrote the post out of intense anger and emotion. She is now in custody under suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
Her husband, Raymond Connolly, who is a Conservative councillor, defended her by saying that it was a “stupid, spur-of-the-moment tweet” and that she is not a racist. He mentioned that she takes care of children from Somali and Bangladeshi backgrounds and loves them dearly.
Lucy Connolly later posted another message saying that she deeply cares about children and was overwhelmed with horror after the attack, but admitted that she should not have expressed her feelings in that manner.
Since the stabbing, there have been riots across many British towns and cities. Protesters, stirred by false rumors about the suspect being Muslim, have clashed with counter-protesters, set fires, and chanted anti-immigrant and anti-Islam slogans. What began as a reaction to the attack has expanded into broader protests against Islam and immigration.
