Right wing group announce Dudley mosque protest march
Controversial right wing group, Britain First has announced it will march in Dudley in May against the planned Central Mosque.
Members announced the planned May 9 march yesterday.
If it goes ahead, Britain First will follow in the footsteps of the English Defence League, which protested in the town earlier this year against the same mosque.
A statement on the group's Facebook page said: "Britain First will be holding a public protest march in Dudley, on the outskirts of Birmingham, where the treacherous councillors and local Muslim groups have forced through an application for a new mega mosque."
Councillor Pete Lowe, the leader of Dudley Council, said: "We are aware that Britain First have posted a proposed visit to Dudley on Facebook.
"We will continue to monitor this with police colleagues over the coming weeks and months and respond appropriately if a protest is held."
On its Facebook page, the group, which was first founded in 2011 and is based in Swanley, Kent, describes itself as a 'patriotic political party and street defence organisation'.
It has strong links to the British National Party and has been accused of being racist, with some of its members taking part in 'mosque invasions'.
Chief Inspector Phil Dolby from West Midlands Police said: "We are aware of talk of a possible event being planned for May in the borough.
"Officers continue to make inquiries and will be contacting the organisers in due course to understand more about the proposed gathering."
In February, around 600 supporters of the English Defence League took to the streets protesting the mosque, with a cost to the taxpayer of around £321,000.
