A handful of far-right protesters today staged a “hapless” demonstration outside one of London’s largest mosques.
No more than 10 Britain First members stood in the rain chanting “we wanted our country back” while a class of young primary school pupils were on a tour of the centre, staff said.
Spokesman Salman Farsi said the demonstrators, holding an unfurled Britain First banner, set up at around 11am and left shortly after police arrived at 11.20am.
“They were chanting ‘we want our country back’,” he said.
“It was a bit worrying for us because we had a school group on a tour inside the mosque”.
“There was a moment when they were provoking passers-by and someone confronted them and spat in their direction, so mosque staff stepped in to move them along”.
In a caption of a YouTube video showing the incident, the mosque wrote: “Another hapless Britain First protest outside the East London Mosque today.
“Last time they entered the mosque and trampled over the carpets, before running off when a traffic warden approached their illegally parked vehicle!”
In the footage three people – including a woman clutching the Christian symbol of a cross – can be seen stood outside the religious building on Whitechapel Road, near Whitechapel Tube station.
At one point she is heard telling Muslims they are worshipping a false prophet and won’t make it to paradise.
She also appears to remonstrate with someone out of shot, telling them it is their “democratic right to be here”.
Footage later cuts to a confrontation with a police officer, in which she asks: “Is it within your job description to come and mock a Christian who’s preaching in the street?”
She then claims the police officer told her the bible forbids eating seafood before proceeding to add he needs to show her more respect.
She says: “This is what’s going on in the world now people. In our country, even the police are against us. This is a Christian country but we’ve got our own police force turning on us, traitors to this country.”
Police said officers were called to the demonstration at about 11am but no action was taken.