West Bridgford Mosque

On Wednesday, a few of us set out on an impromptu visit to the locale of the proposed Mosque behind Asda in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.

We saw two England flags flying in gardens overlooking the prospective site (which is adjacent to the David Lloyd Leisure center) and then one of our group members suggested that it would be a good idea to personally greet the residents and offer them our support. We learned from them that a public meeting was being held that very evening at the local social club by Rushcliffe Borough and County Councillors at which local residents would have the opportunity to voice their concerns.

As we arrived, we noted a remarkable lack of representation from the local Muslim community who have asserted on the Nottingham Evening Post web pages that they need the large two storey mosque and school to meet their educational and spiritual needs. Funnily enough, the planning applicant himself was not there to confirm this view either.

One of the local residents who was obviously very anxious and angry explained how frightened many of her neighbours were about the plans.

Word spread quickly at the back of the social club that there was a BNP presence in the meeting and for the majority, this was excellent news with only one dissenting voice from the neighbourhood itself, an elderly lady, who said she thought that as no Muslim would ever object to a church being built in their locality that therefore, the entire meeting and everybody at it, particularly us, were ‘racist’.

This sentiment was echoed particularly loudly by the rude and obnoxious Councillor Harry Tipton (Cons) who demanded that we all leave shortly after the microphone was snatched from us when we introduced ourselves in order that we might ask what we feel is a reasonable question under the circumstances:

Is the scale and location of the proposed development proportional to the needs of the actual local community or the desires of another?

Our democratic right to free speech was denied us and we were startled by the ferocity of the cantankerous, obstreperous elected representatives who shouted us down from the stage. They are guilty of nothing short of hideous psychological bullying. We are expected to cower behind the iron curtain and to cite politically correct excuses such as parking problems and noise instead of voicing our real concern, that we feel rightfully and justifiably threatened by alien cultures, traditions and beliefs that are wholly incompatible with ours and we expect them as elected representatives to do something about it.