Protest outside the construction site of a controversial £2.5 million mosque sees police called as rival factions clash
People gathered around the building site of the three-storey South Lakes Islamic Centre in Furness, Cumbria, on Saturday.
Demonstrators holding placards with messages reading 'Muslims welcome here' butted heads with protesters waving Union Jack flags with messages reading 'No to the mosque' and 'Not racist! Just patriotic!'.
A local Labour MP, who attended the protest, slammed anti-mosque protesters as racist.
Construction on the mosque started in January this year with those behind the ambitious plans claiming it will be the first mosque in the South Lakes area of the Lake District.
Standing opposite the anti-mosque protesters, Paul Jenkins, who organised a counter-protest on behalf of Furness Stand Up To Racism, said: 'The protest against the Islamic Centre does not speak for the majority of people in Dalton or Furness.
'The majority of our people here are from Furness, including Dalton. We celebrate our multicultural, multifaith community and defend the right of the Islamic centre to be here.'
Local Labour MP Michelle Scrogham, who was first elected in July last year, also attended the counter-protest.
She said: 'I am here because there's absolutely no place for racism in Cumbria. The comments that plague the social media pages constantly don't represent the people of this area.
'The people of this area have always been incredibly welcoming. We've had immigration on a mass scale for many, many years.
'People that moved here in the 1800s - they weren't from round here - this town is built on immigration.
'The number of people who have moved here for jobs and work and settled with their families and nothing has changed at all.
'Anybody that wants to come here and say you're not welcome they're wrong. It's just utterly wrong.'
Demonstrator Henry Goodwin said: 'There are five British values, which include tolerance of other people's faiths and beliefs.
'We're standing up for proper British values.'
Amy Heild said: 'I had a look for some quotes from the Quran and the Bible.
'In both religions I found lots of examples where they are advocating for peace and tolerance of people's different faiths and religion, and looking at how God would look favourably on people that support people outside of their own faith and the human right to dignity in their own beliefs.'
A local Labour MP, who attended the protest, slammed anti-mosque protesters as racist
Those demonstrating against the mosque refused to speak to reporters on the ground.
Planning approval for the mosque was granted in December 2022 after 30 objections were raised.
Opponents have raised concerns about the development, saying it is not needed in Furness, while supporters say the centre would provide a much-needed place of worship for hundreds of Muslim families living in the area.
Earlier this year, representatives from the South Lakes Islamic Centre said construction had been delayed due to negative television coverage.
In a YouTube video, a representative said: 'The concrete, which was supposed to come this week, has been delayed because of the GB News coverage.
'It's just the challenges we face; it's a difficult area to build, but we are progressing very quickly.'
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