Community responds to Britain First’s invasion of Alum Rock bookstore

Community members and politicians all faiths spent their Easter Sunday pushing a message of unity after members of Britain’s First invaded an Islamic book store.

The far right group members filmed themselves in the store in Alum Rock whilst aggressively accusing the owner of selling “extremist literature”.

The barrage of abuse inflicted on the unsuspecting shop owner was due to an article published in the ‘Daily Express’, which reported that the shop allegedly sold an Islamic parenting guide that stated Muslims should “keep alive in the children the spirit of jihad”.

In the video, that has been heavily criticised across social media, the group’s leader Paul Golding, said: “So we’re inside a book centre in the middle of Alum Rock high street, it’s completely Muslim around here; we’ve already had people screaming and shouting at us.

“But we’ve come here because this shop was exposed in the newspapers as selling extremist literature, saying that Jews are evil, that homosexuals should be killed and saying jihad is fine.”

In response to the unsolicited invasion, local Labour Party councillor, Mariam KhanCofE Vicar, Al Barrett and West Midlands Police spent Easter Sunday speaking with community members in Alum Rock and offering reassurance to the locals.

mk tweettweet

Cllr Mariam Khan explains: “There are people from outside of Birmingham who try to divide us and create community tensions and tension between people of different faiths.

“But they’re not the true reflection of what humanity is and of who Brummies are or what people who live in the community really feel about each other.

“What we did yesterday is a true reflection because I asked on Saturday evening if people from other church groups could come and give their time, on Easter Sunday, and they were willing to come out.

“That’s what a real neighbourly feeling is. And equally, the response towards them from the people in the Islamic bookshops show there are no ill feelings between people of different faiths.”

When leaving the store, Jayda Fransen, can be heard shouting: “This is Great Britain; we don’t stand for those values in our country.”

Birmingham has been the scene of a number of far-right protests in recent weeks, since it was revealed that the assailant of the Westminster terror attack last month hailed from the city.

 

asionix@2017
No Comment

Leave a Reply

*

*

RELATED BY