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Britain First “invades” Birmingham bookshop prompting united response from local community

Britain First “invades” Birmingham bookshop prompting united response from local community

Categories: Latest News

Wednesday April 19 2017

The Huffington Post and Independent carry news of Britain First’s “invasion” of an Islamic bookshop in Alum Rock in Birmingham, prompting a wave of support in response from the local community.

Britain First, who have been banned from entering mosques in England and Wales and parts of Luton for three years, “invaded” the Madina Book Centre on Alum Rock Road on Friday 14 April following coverage of the store in a Daily Express article. The paper alleged that the store sold extremist literature promoting “Islamic Jihad”. 

A video released by Britain First shows the group’s leader, Paul Golding, in the store, accompanied by deputy leader Jayda Fransen and former EDL-head Tommy Robinson. Golding tells the camera, “It’s completely Muslim round 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.”

Golding lectures a staff member calling him a “disgrace”, before claiming the store should be shut down and threatening to return if the store keeps selling “extremist literature”.

The incident sparked an outpouring of solidarity with the bookshop from members of the local community. Local councillor Mariam Khan, vicar Al Barrett and West Midlands Police officers spent Easter Sunday visiting bookshops along Alum Rock Road and providing reassurance to the community.

Khan, a Labour Party councillor for the Washwood Heath ward, told the Huffington Post that those who had attempted to divide the community were not a true reflection of how people in Birmingham felt about each other.

Khan said, “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.”

She added, “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.” 

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