A TikTok influencer, Fiona Ryan, 40, has received two suspended prison sentences after being found guilty of posting anti-Semitic content online.
Ryan, who has over 50,000 followers on TikTok, was convicted on four charges related to “highly offensive” material shared between March and April 2024.
Earlier this month, she pleaded guilty to two additional charges from October 2023 for posts on X that glorified and supported Hamas.
The Salisbury resident was sentenced at the town’s magistrates’ court on Thursday.
She received a 12-week suspended sentence for the 2024 offences and an eight-week suspended sentence for the 2023 offences, with the sentences set to run consecutively.
District Judge Timothy Pattinson described Ryan’s comments as “disgusting and nauseating,” noting they were driven by racial and religious hostility. Prosecutor Mr. Cooper informed the court that the 2024 charges stemmed from several social media posts.
‘Angry and disgusted’
Victim impact statements were presented in court, including one from former Wilton Town Councillor Alexandra Boyd, who is Jewish. Boyd revealed that Ryan’s posts “shattered my sense of security” and left her feeling “vulnerable and targeted,” prompting her to step back from her role.
The court also heard testimony from Ryan’s neighbors, who described the distress caused by her actions. They cited the repeated playing of a song about antisemitism, set to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It, as making them feel “angry and disgusted.”
They added that Ryan’s behaviour made them “fear for their lives”.
Ryan, of Laverstock Road, told the court she was “remorseful” for posting the content.
She was also sentenced to 20 weeks’ rehabilitation, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and prosecution costs of £650.