Far-right protestors dismiss traders' concerns over Dudley march
Far right protesters planning on marching in Dudley dismissed traders' concerns for the town's reputation - claiming the country's future is more important.
Members of the All Football Fans/Firms Against Islamisation (AFFFAI) group have even invited businesses to take part in the march when they descend on Dudley on June 13 in protest over plans for a new mosque to be built.
It will be the third such protest to come to the Black Country town since February - following demonstrations by the English Defence League (EDL) and Britain First.
Police today moved to allay fears over the numbers expected - despite leading officers telling a public meeting that the protest could be bigger than the EDL march.
That day more than 500 protestors arrived forcing the closure of roads and the installation of metal riot fencing as Dudley was effectively rendered a ghost town.
AFFFAI event host Kevin Smith today said traders should still open as normal on the day.
Asked about traders' concerns over the protest, forcing them to think about closing, Mr Smith said: "If the future of their country means less than two hours of trading then we can clearly see where the problems we face today are coming from. People ignoring the slow decay of their own national identity.
"We invite them to walk with us on the day and listen to what we have got to say.
"But if they prefer not to, then we strongly encourage them to carry on as normal."
He added: "We are not coming to cause trouble or violence. But we will be talking about issues that half of our society prefers to see as non existent, purely out of fear of causing offence. If there is a problem we have to be able to talk about it, if not, then freedom of speech is well and truly dead."
Mr Smith told the Express & Star that the AFFFAI have 'massive' support among Dudley residents.
Meanwhile police claim the protest has yet to meet the legal requirement to go-ahead as organisers must give police written notice.
Chief Superintendent Chris Johnson, responsible for policing across the Dudley borough, said: "People have a right to protest and West Midlands Police has no power to ban static peaceful protests.
"At this time no written notice to hold a public procession has been given by AFFFMAI, which is a legal requirement.
"When or if the group give such written notice, it will be considered in the usual way by members of the multi-agency Dudley Safety Advisory Group.
"In the run-up to the date, we will hold a series of public meetings to share all of the latest information with local people and traders.
"The feedback from these meetings will be used to shape the policing operation.
"Comments from similar meetings ahead of the Britain First protest in May resulted in the Chief Constable using special powers to slightly alter the route of the procession to minimise the impact on the town."
