A white supremacist from England who attended anti-asylum seeker protests in Erskine has been jailed for five years for racist offences including a “call to arms against black and Jewish people”.
James Costello, 38, from Kirkby, uses the pseudonym “the Reverend” and is a member of the far right group, Patriotic Alternative. He was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court this week of 18 offences of stirring up racial hatred.
In February, The Ferret revealed Costello had travelled to Scotland to attend protests in Erskine against asylum seekers being housed in a local hotel, along with other far right activists.
We later reported he was present during a riot outside a hotel accommodating asylum seekers in Merseyside.
Costello’s trial followed a police investigation into stickers posted in Merseyside in 2021 advertising a website called the Creativity Movement.
The website was full of racist material and Merseyside Police found that Costello was a leading figure in the white supremacist Creativity Movement group.
As part of the case against Costello, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) used evidence to show his connections with other convicted terrorists, including National Action member Jack Renshaw, who was jailed for life in 2019 for planning to murder Labour MP Rosie Cooper.
Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, reportedly said after the trial: “James Costello styled himself as a ‘Reverend’ as part of his ambition to try and stir up racial hatred wherever possible.
“The messages he posted were intended to sow disharmony and be a violent call to arms against black and Jewish people.”
The Ferret revealed on 31 January 2023 that Patriotic Alternative (PA) Scotland was planning to protest in Erskine over asylum seekers being housed in a local hotel.
Featured photo is of Costello standing in front of a Patriotic Alternative banner at an anti-asylum seeker protest in Erskine this year.
