A former soldier who made Facebook posts referring to “civil war” in the aftermath of the Southport attacks has been jailed for two years.

Daffron Williams, 40, who served on tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of publishing material likely to stir up racial hatred relating to public posts made between July 19 and August 11.

Cardiff Crown Court heard the posts, made before and after three girls were fatally stabbed at a dance class on July 29, included Williams describing Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, as a “f***ing hero”.

In one post, the day after the incident in Southport, Williams wrote: “Civil war is here. The only thing that’s missing is bullets. That’s the next step.”

The court heard Williams, of Tonypandy, south Wales, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relating to his time in the army, during which he served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, told Williams that there had been “serious public disorder” following the Southport attacks.

She said: “It was on July 31 this year that South Wales Police received complaints about your Facebook account.

“Your Facebook profile was an open profile, which means any member of the public, anywhere in the country and the world, could view your profile and see your comments.”

The judge said Williams had posted a number of “racist comments” before the Southport incident and the disorder that followed.

Significant comments included Williams posting “Let’s just do something FFS” and “Civil war is here, the only thing that’s missing is bullets, that’s the next step”, she said.

Williams was arrested on August 11 and apologised when shown the Facebook posts, which he told police he regretted, the court heard.

Considering evidence about Williams’ PTSD, the judge said it was a mitigating factor for sentence, but added: “You knew exactly what you were doing, your posts were intentional.”

References submitted to the court on Williams’ behalf made clear he served his community as well as his country and had organised charity events, the judge told him.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke added: “I accept you have strong personal mitigation but given your encouragement to others to act – your references to civil war and to bullets – I am satisfied this offending is so serious that only custody is sufficient.”

Prosecuting, Alex Orndal said Williams had pleaded guilty to the charge against him when he appeared before Cardiff Magistrates’ Court in August and had been in custody since then.

In one Facebook comment, Williams said: “I am racist as f***, only to those who sap the life out of society and disrespect culture. Our future as British is so uncertain it is unreal.”

On July 24, he wrote: “Come on guys, it is time to stand up. Everything our ancestors, grandparents and parents fought for is ruined. Let’s do something.”

Four days later, Williams posted images from a Tommy Robinson rally in London, which he attended on July 27.

He wrote: “If that level of support continues, we will win our freedom back. That was too big to be called a racist protest.”

Williams added: “I have seen today they are trying to put Tommy Robinson in jail. God bless Tommy Robinson, f***ing hero.”

Mr Orndal told the court how Williams also posted two AI generated images following the Southport incident.

Representing Williams, John Allchurch said his client had been diagnosed with PTSD from serving as a soldier in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“The defendant experienced multiple traumatic events while in the army between 2004 and 2011,” Mr Allchurch said.

“He witnessed close comrades being brutally killed, as well as the defendant himself having to take action against enemy combatants.”

Mr Allchurch said Williams had experienced a recent deterioration in his mental health, linked to “combat training and traumatic experiences when a serving soldier and exposure to far right material on the internet”.

“The defendant is a man who has supported his country in the most difficult and trying of circumstances which has left him suffering with a mental disorder,” he added.

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A crowd cheered as workers in Charlottesville removed a Confederate statue near the site of a violent white nationalist rally three years ago.

The removal of a bronze figure of a Confederate soldier known as “At Ready” is seen in Charlottesville as a milestone in eliminating divisive symbols of the Civil War.

The Washington Post reported that the process of removing the statue began on Saturday morning as workers affixed straps to the 900-pound statute to prepare to remove it from its base.

A crowd of about 100 people cheered behind metal barricades as the figure was lifted from its pedestal and lowered to the ground.

The statue has been outside the Albermarle County courthouse for 111 years.

Members of the crowd all wore masks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Some wore blue Union Civil War caps and danced to music broadcast by a local radio station.

The cheerful scene was in stark contrast to the violence at the Unite The Right rally on August 12, 2017.

One woman was killed and dozens were injured when a self-avowed white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of people protesting over the white nationalist gathering.

“This is a magnificent moment,” said local community organiser Don Gathers. “Much of the racial tension, strife and protest we’re seeing across the country emanates from right here in Charlottesville. But now we’re moving the needle in a positive way.”

Albemarle County supervisors voted earlier this summer to take down the statute, which is located within the city of Charlottesville.

The statue was not the focal point of the 2017 rally, but it is a block away from the statue of Confederate Gen Robert E Lee that white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups said they were defending in the clash.

Charlottesville’s city council has voted to remove both Lee and a nearby monument to fellow Gen Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, but a small group of Confederate supporters filed a lawsuit to save them.

The case is headed to the Supreme Court of Virginia and could take months to be resolved.