The organiser of a protest that led to racist violence in Hull has accepted that describing small boat migrants as “an influx of illegal invaders” was not “the best choice of words”.
However, he claimed his demonstration was hijacked and denied being racist.
In a conversation with a worshipper from a mosque that was attacked, John Francis apologised for what happened.
Amanj Jamil, a member of Hull’s Kurdish community, agreed to meet Mr Francis at the invitation of Sky News.
Mr Jamil has lived and worked in Hull for 24 years since arriving as an asylum seeker from Iraq.
He was inside a mosque when a violent mob attacked it, throwing items including stones at the building, during a riot on 3 August.
Mr Francis who has lived in Hull for many years after moving to the city from London, is the founder of a group called the Hull Patriotic Protesters and organised a demonstration in the city.
He told Mr Jamil his protest had been planned for “about three weeks” and that “illegal immigration” was his main focus.
However, following the murders of three children in Southport he decided “to use the opportunity to turn it into a vigil to remember the young girls”.
Mr Jamil challenged him, asking him if he knew the suspect charged with the Southport killings was born in Wales.
Mr Francis replied: “I never jumped on any of that.”
Video from the rally reveals Mr Francis wearing a T-shirt bearing the words, “Stop The Boats”.
Speaking about migrants he shouts into a microphone: “Do one, I don’t want you here.”
An advert circulated on social media, written by Mr Francis, ahead of the protest asked people to arrive “as sober as you can be”, stating “at the start of the demo we will be holding a tribute and a short vigil for little girls who lost their lives at the hands of a scumbag”.
It includes a list of things the group is “fed up” of, including “terror attacks on our people in the name of an alien religion to our country”.
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John Francis speaks at the demonstration in Hull before the disorder broke out
Cars were set alight during the Hull chaos
During the riot that followed the planned demonstration, a migrant hotel was attacked and cars and tyres were set on fire before the mob moved on to the mosque.
Mr Francis says he began to get “vibes” that a lot of people would attend his demonstration in the days leading up to it and says he received a call from the police asking him to consider cancelling but he refused.
Asked by Sky News whether he considers himself to be far right, Mr Francis said: “No, I’m not at all.”
He accepts he was a member of the now defunct English Defence League, but says he left long before it disbanded.
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From 3 August: Hull protesters – ‘We want our country back’
Riot police defend a hotel housing migrants in Hull during the disorder this month
Challenged over the description of the Hull Patriotic Protesters on its Facebook group, which describes one of the issues the group has is with “the influx of illegal invaders”, Mr Francis said: “When I set that group up there was a lot of stuff coming out from parliament about an ‘invasion’.
“I forget the politicians that were saying that, everyone was calling it an invasion. On reflection now, I don’t think it’s the best choice of words.”
But he added: “You need to be fair… every single one of my posts, I always say ‘black, brown and white unite’, yeah, I don’t like racists. I don’t like Nazis, I don’t want violence, I don’t want riots. I always say that.”
Mr Jamil told Mr Franics that whether he intends to or not, the messages in his posts “kind of trigger things for other people”.
He added that some people might read his words to mean “let’s go attack them”.
Mr Jamil said that since the Hull riot he is “still worried about going into the city centre”, adding: “I still feel uncomfortable going to town, going to shopping centres, going to public places.”
Explaining why he holds protests, Mr Francis said: “What we’re seeing is we’re seeing people coming over on these boats.
“This is what people are being told – they’re being told they’re taking up the four-star hotels, they’re being rewarded, they’re being housed, they’re being fed, they’re being clothed.
“They’re not vetted. Nobody knows who they are.”
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Aftermath of unrest and looting in Hull
Mr Jamil challenged that, saying: “They don’t get a free ride… The food and the place that has been provided is not the way you think it’s been.”
He added: “Believe me, they are struggling.”
Mr Francis said another issue is that communities do not mix, to which Mr Jamil replied: “We do mix. I’ve got so many English friends.”
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Mr Francis also told Sky News he is not planning any further demonstrations.
“I don’t really think this city needs that at the moment,” he said, adding: “I just think the people of this city need a rest. I think the people of this country need a rest.
“I think the prime minister of this country, he needs to think about how he’s addressing people… and he needs to not just put out the fire. He needs to find out why the fire started.”