Racist thug branded 'disgrace to the nation' jailed for Nazi salute in pub when he already had ASBO banning him from racist gestures

John Hennigan, of Harlow, Essex, made gesture at London pub in February

It put him in breach of Asbo imposed after swastika was on his front door



46-year-old asked manager Paul MacAllion if he 'only served blacks or Jews'

He told Old Bailey judge 'no probs' as he was led away to cells for 21 months



A racist thug who made a Nazi salute inside a packed pub and called black people c***s and n*****s was today jailed for almost two years and branded a ‘disgrace to the values of this country’.

John Hennigan, 46, of Harlow, Essex, was caught on camera delivering the fascist gesture in front of shocked drinkers in February at The Magpie pub in Bishopsgate, central London.

The antics put him in breach of an Asbo imposed in 2005 when a swastika was discovered daubed on the front door of his council house. It was the seventh time he had flouted the order.

Racist: John Hennigan, 46, of Harlow, Essex, was caught on camera delivering the fascist gesture in front of shocked drinkers in February at The Magpie pub in Bishopsgate, central London

Hennigan claimed he had only been raising his arm to collect his change after paying for a drink, but was convicted by a majority verdict of 10-2 after a trial at the Old Bailey in central London.

Sentencing Hennigan , Judge Nicholas Cooke QC told him the court was ‘not upholding some culture of political correctness’ but ‘preserving public order’ and dealing with unacceptable behavior.

He added: ‘In this crowded public house in this city you gave a Nazi salute and spoke provocatively of Jews. The Holocaust was a crime against humanity of enormous magnitude.



‘Behaving in the way you did was appalling. You spoke of black people as c***s and n*****s.

‘The use of such terms is grossly offensive and conjures up memories of the slave trade, again a crime against humanity of enormous magnitude. Behaving in such a way was likewise appalling.’

The judge said Hennigan’s antics were also an affront to those who fought against the ‘racist evil of Nazism’ in the Second World War and ‘insults the memories of those who sacrificed themselves’.

London pub: Hennigan had been barred from The Magpie in central London two times before but was spotted on CCTV by manager Paul MacAllion. 'He was making Nazi salutes at the bar,' the manager said

He added: ‘You see yourself as some sort of loyal nationalist or crusader against Communism. You are in fact a disgrace to the values of this country.’

Hennigan, who attended court wearing a T-shirt with an image of left-wing Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara with a line through it, told the judge ‘no probs’ as he was led away to the cells.

'You see yourself as some sort of loyal nationalist or crusader against Communism. You are in fact a disgrace to the values of this country' Judge Nicholas Cooke QC

The racist has 43 previous convictions for offences including drug and firearm possession and common assault. He was last before the courts for breaching his Asbo in 2010. That was after he launched racist abuse at a newsagent before attacking him with a sweet display.

Hennigan had been barred from The Magpie two times before but was spotted on CCTV by manager Paul MacAllion. ‘He was making Nazi salutes at the bar,’ the manager said

‘I was trying to make sure it was the same guy I had barred, staring at the CCTV, and three times I saw him do it. I went immediately down to the bar and confronted him.

Hearing: Hennigan, who attended the Old Bailey (pictured) wearing a T-shirt with an image of left-wing Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara with a line through it, told the judge 'no probs' as he was led away