12 Apr 2016 – A peaceful open day involving non-Muslim women & children visiting the East London Mosque was disrupted on Saturday by over 20 far-right thugs from Britain First.

The mosque had opened its doors to non-Muslim visitors, something it does on a regular basis in order to foster good community relations. Unfortunately, the doors had to be temporarily closed after members of Britain First produced weapons and started hurling racist abuse.

A member of the mosque who appealed for calm sustained head injuries in a vicious attack by a Britain First thug wielding a weapon. Two members of the far-right group, which is virulently anti-Muslim, were subsequently arrested.

Police have cited shortage of staff and resources for not being able to respond quicker, and in greater numbers, which is of serious concern to the community.

This is the third time in two months that Britain First has targeted the East London Mosque with its hate-filled protests. The use of weapons to back their usual tirade of abuse marks a troubling escalation of hostility towards the local Whitechapel community.

We are calling on authorities to take action to prevent further violence and harassment outside the mosque, which is one of the busiest in Europe. The mosque is holding emergency meetings with the Police and Council to ensure a more robust response is made in future.

It cannot be the case that time and again worshippers and visitors to our mosque and centre should face vile racist abuse and the threat of violence on our doorstep.

It is time for decisive intervention from the Government, our local authority and the police, before this far-right thuggery leads to tragedy.