EDL Shrewsbury prayer centre protest ends peacefully

More than 60 members from the Shropshire Division of the EDL staged demonstrations on Saturday over the plans for the former Shrewsbury Register Office at Column Lodge.

The plans by Shropshire Bangladesh Welfare Society have sparked fierce debate and have split local opinion. Shropshire Council has received hundreds of letters of both objection and support since the plans were submitted on April 30.

A dozen police officers were at Saturday's protest, which passed off peacefully.

During the 30-minute protest the crowd, mainly men, stood on the Column roundabout chanting and a number of comments were passed between EDL supporters and a handful of opponents who gathered on the other side of the road.

Leading the protest Tony English, 36, from Shrewsbury, said: " We are a voice and a platform for British people. We are not racist against Muslims, we are against the fundamental teachings of Islam, it has no place on our streets.."

Dave Gardener, 60, from Harlescott, Shrewsbury, added: "We are concerned about the growth of Islam and the Government should be doing something about it.

"One religion should not be allowed to dominate. This is about religion not race.

"I am also opposed to it because the council have sold off a public owned asset at a knock down price with no openness or transparency to their plans."

But opponents of the EDL protest claimed the group was using the recent murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich to spread fear.

The Bangladesh Welfare Society has met at St Nicholas Hall of the United Reformed Church for the past eight years and has purchased the disused council building to use as a prayer centre and community centre.

A decision on the plan is due on June 25.