UK priest admits posting Islamophobic messages in neo-Nazi chat

A Catholic priest from Cardiff who posted Islamophobic and racist messages in a neo-Nazi chatroom, including calls to "bomb mosques" and "shoot black people in the head", has been sentenced to a 12-month community order.

Father Mark Rowles, 57, of St John Lloyd Catholic Church, admitted three counts of sending menacing or offensive messages on the encrypted app Telegram in May and June 2024.

Using the alias "skinheadlad1488" in a chatroom called Aryan Reich Killers, Rowles shared violent and racist messages targeting Muslims and Black people. Prosecutor Rob Simkins said the messages showed "hostility based on religion and race".

Rowles was ordered to complete 150 hours of community service, pay £199 in costs, and will be subject to a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order.

The Catholic Church in Wales confirmed that he has not been in active ministry since the allegations emerged and that it is conducting an internal review.

He was arrested during a counter-terrorism police investigation into far-right online activity. His Telegram profile featured a photograph of a masked white man beside a German flag and the slogan "right hand path always".

In one post, Rowles said Muslims should be "strung up or shot", while in another, he wrote that "a few bullets to their brains would help" when discussing the ethnicity of Londoners.

During police questioning, Rowles denied being racist, claiming he joined the extremist chatrooms because he was lonely and had a sexual fetish involving role play.

Defence lawyer Jacqui Seal described the case as "disturbing" but said Rowles had served for decades in the church without any previous complaints or disciplinary action.

Recent reports indicate a significant increase in Islamophobia in the UK, with disturbing rises in anti-Muslim hate crimes and attacks.

According to Tell MAMA, an organisation dedicated to monitoring anti-Muslim hate, between June and September 2025 there were 913 reported cases of anti-Muslim hate, including 17 attacks on mosques and Islamic institutions.

Victims faced verbal abuse, racist attacks, and were often told to "leave the UK" or "go back to their country," reflecting deep xenophobia tied to political discourse around migration.

Further data from the Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) shows a sustained increase of over 300 percent in reports of Islamophobic incidents since October 2023, with repeated spikes correlating with Israel's genocide in Gaza.

There are approximately four million Muslims living in the UK, making up around six percent of the country's population of around 67 million.