Four British Muslims who sought to “forment hatred and encourage killing” at a protest outside the Danish Embassy in London were jailed today.

Angry demonstrators gathered outside the Old Bailey as Mizanur Rahman, Umran Javed and Abdul Muhid were sentenced to six years in prison for soliciting murder during a protest against a publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

A fourth man, Abdul Saleem, was jailed for four years for stirring up racial hatred at the demonstration in February last year.

Judge Brian Barker told the men that, only months after the 7th of July bombings, they had “subjected the multicultural citizens of London to a constant barrage of hatred and intolerance”.

Three of the men had delivered speeches designed to “persuade and encourage any radicalised and impressionable young person to perform a terrorist act in the name of religion” with potential for “indiscriminate carnage with which we are all too familiar”.

Rahman, 24, from Palmers Green had called for British soldiers to be returned from Iraq in body bags.

Judge Barker said: “Freedom of speech has long been jealously guarded by our laws but with freedom of speech comes responsibility and respect, none of which was demonstrated by you and your hardcore of fellow protesters.”

Outside the court building, a crowd of around 60 demonstrators held placards bearing slogans such as “Muslims rise for our brothers” and “British regime, terrorist regime”.

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