A MAN HAS been convicted of publicly supporting dissident republicans after he shared posts on social media which included calls for violence.

Ciaran Kilifin from west Belfast attended Belfast Crown Court yesterday where he was sentenced to 12 months suspended for two years, meaning he must comply with certain conditions for a two-year period or else he will be obliged to serve the full sentence.

The 27-year-old was arrested three years ago following a PSNI investigation which found that he created a Facebook page which openly called for dissident republican groups to commit violent acts against certain members of the community.

The conviction is a landmark case in that it is the first time somebody in the North has been prosecuted for comments made on the internet, which in this case involved opinions expressly linked to a proscribed terrorist organisation.

Detective Sergeant Allen had a stern warning for anyone considering posting content on social media which glorifies terrorism.

“Often those sitting behind keyboards believe that their actions will have no consequences,” he said.

“However, words and articles supporting proscribed organisations can lead to others believing that engaging in the criminal acts of these groupings is acceptable.”

The UK’s Terrorism Act 2000 criminalises various aspects relating to support of paramilitary organisations including belonging to or supporting them, arranging meetings, and encouraging terrorist acts. 

The law was updated at the end of last year to incorporate online activity.

Allen said: “This is the first time this offence has been prosecuted in Northern Ireland since the change of legislation, which now allows the court to take into account material posted on the internet recklessly which expresses an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation.”

He continued: “I would urge those who continue to engage in this type of activity to take note of the newly-introduced recklessness aspect of this offence and to refrain from posting anything which could be deemed to be supportive of any organisation proscribed under the Terrorism Act.”