Former Royal Marine Jamie Michael has been banned from working with children after referring to the Southport murderer as a “creature”, despite being unanimously acquitted of criminal charges by a jury.
According to court documents seen by The Telegraph, the safeguarding board of Mr Michael’s local Labour-run council has claimed that children are “at risk of harm” due to the “dehumanising language” he used when referring to Axel Rudakubana — the teenager who stabbed three young girls to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. The board has further alleged that Mr Michael breached the murderer’s human rights because Rudakubana is “non-white”.
In the aftermath of the Southport murders, Mr Michael posted a 12-minute video on Facebook calling for protests against high levels of illegal immigration. A Labour Party staffer reported the video to the police. Mr Michael was subsequently arrested at work and charged with inciting racial hatred. He was denied bail and spent 17 days on remand.
The Free Speech Union supported Mr Michael throughout the proceedings and successfully secured the removal of his electronic tag and the immediate lifting of his curfew. A jury took just 17 minutes to unanimously find him not guilty.
Despite this acquittal, Mr Michael has now been banned from working with children, including coaching his daughter’s football team. He has also been informed that if he wishes to watch his daughter play from the sidelines, he will be “monitored”. This decision was taken by the Football Association of Wales, whose panel met in secret following recommendations from the council’s safeguarding board.
Mr Michael is now suing the council, the safeguarding board and the Football Association of Wales for £25,000, citing damage to his reputation.
In their legal response, lawyers for Cwm Taf Morgannwg Council stated that the safeguarding board maintains children would be “at risk of harm” if Mr Michael were permitted to work with them. The response argues that his acquittal by a jury is immaterial. Documents submitted to the High Court state: “The fact remains that the claimant [Mr Michael] posted a video in which he… used dehumanising language, referring to a non-white individual as a ‘creature’.”
In the Facebook video, Mr Michael said of Rudakubana: “This creature has come from out of the country and now he’s killed three little girls and five others critical. And people are trying to say he is a Cardiff boy. Wise up, people. Wise up. We are under attack.”
Axel Rudakubana, now 19, was sentenced to 52 years in prison for one of the most egregious atrocities committed in the UK. At trial, the judge described him as evil. In the aftermath of the murders, riots erupted across the country.
Mr Michael has said: “Rudakubana has to be one of the most evil people on the planet. Even the judge called him evil. And yet if I label him a ‘creature’, I am deemed unfit to work with children. If dehumanising Axel Rudakubana makes me a danger to children, then there is something very, very wrong with this system. It is mind-boggling.”
The Free Speech Union is once again supporting Mr Michael, this time in legal action against the council, the safeguarding board, and the Football Association of Wales. Its General Secretary and founder, Lord Young of Acton, said: “Why are the authorities in Rhondda protecting the reputation of a child murderer at the expense of a decorated ex-serviceman who risked his life to defend our country? Has Rhondda been taken over by the Taliban?”
He continued:“The fact that Rudakubana was ‘non-white’ is irrelevant. Would it have been acceptable to call him a ‘creature’ if he were white? Rhondda appears to have decided that all ‘non-white’ people are oppressed and deserving of protection — even if they are knife-wielding maniacs.”
In their legal defence, lawyers for the authorities stated that while Mr Michael was “entitled to his views”, he occupied “a position of trust in respect of children he was coaching”, which required consideration of the impact of his public statements.
They further argued that “racist comments… seeking to limit the free movement of migrants lawfully in the UK… have the potential to create an intimidating and hostile environment for children and young people”.
Mr Michael’s case is not isolated. The Free Speech Union has identified more than a dozen cases in which safeguarding protocols have allegedly been used to silence individuals with right-wing views, including teachers. Critics argue this represents a disturbing misuse of child-protection measures designed to protect children from genuine harm.
Child-protection authorities, they say, should prioritise safeguarding children from real threats — such as grooming gangs — rather than policing speech and opinions that fall outside prevailing orthodoxy.
The Free Speech Union has launched a crowdfunding campaign and is assembling a legal team to help Mr Michael challenge what it describes as a “sinister and insulting” decision.
If you can, please support Jamie by donating to his crowdfunder.
You can also read more in The Telegraph.