Reform UK Councillor Convicted Over Facebook Post Saying Nigerians Should Be Melted Down to Fill Potholes

A suspended Reform UK councillor in Sunderland, England, has been convicted of sending a malicious communication after posting on Facebook that Nigerians living in the city should be melted down and used to fill potholes.

Glenn Gibbins, 66, was found guilty at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 9, after denying that his March 2024 Facebook post breached the Communications Act.

He was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work under a 12-month community order. His legal team is expected to appeal the conviction at the Crown Court.

Gibbins, who was elected to Sunderland City Council in May 2026, defended the post during his trial, describing it as a “tongue-in-cheek” joke that nobody could have taken literally.

The controversial post, which was published two years before his election, read: “Carnt believe the amount of nigerians in town… should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes!!”

The comments came to light after campaign group Hope Not Hate reviewed his social media activity following his announcement as a Reform UK candidate for Sunderland City Council. Police were subsequently informed after he won the election.

Prosecutor Emma Dowling told the court that the reference to melting Nigerians down conjured up “despicable images”.

She argued that the statement portrayed Nigerians as “somewhat less than human”, stripping members of the ethnic group of their humanity.

Dowling said the post was grossly offensive and dehumanising, adding that it was shared “for no reason whatsoever other than to offend and humiliate people from Nigeria who live in Sunderland”.

Nigerian Community Expresses Safety Concerns

Godwin Ejeh, a Nigerian community leader in Sunderland, told the court that Nigerians in the city were distressed by the post and concerned about their safety and that of their children.

Ejeh said he led a protest outside Sunderland City Hall when Gibbins was expected to be sworn in as a councillor, hoping the politician would apologise.

However, Gibbins had already been suspended by Reform UK after the post emerged and did not attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Ejeh, who contested the May elections as a Liberal Democrat councillor, denied seeking political advantage from the controversy.

“We are talking about humanity here; it’s way beyond politics,” he told the court.

Councillor says post was a joke

Giving evidence, Gibbins, a divorced former salesman who operates a novelty printing stall in Sunderland city centre, maintained that the Facebook post was not intended to be taken seriously.

“I thought it was a tongue-in-cheek joke, It was an unreal scenario. No-one took it literally.” He said

He explained that he had interacted with some Nigerians who approached his stall to enquire about purchasing printing equipment. According to him, the conversation was friendly, although he said they had “done my head in, in a funny way not a bad way”.

Gibbins said he later saw a Facebook post about Nigerians that he attempted to share but could not. After drinking “a couple of cans of beer”, he decided to type out the message himself and publish it on his public profile.

When asked what reaction he intended to generate, he replied: “It was tongue-in-cheek, a bit naughty, but I thought it was fun.”

Asked what he found funny about the statement, he said: “It’s an unreal scenario, you cannot melt people down, anyone that takes that literally… you cannot do that.”

He added: “I wouldn’t dream of joking about killing people.”