The High Court has banned the leaders of the far-right Islamophobic group Britain First from all mosques in England and Wales for the next three years.
The order prohibits the group’s leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen from entering mosques or Islamic cultural centres without prior invitiation.
The pair were also banned from encouraging others to enter such premises.
Britain First has made a name for itself by “invading” mosques (usually when hardly anyone is in them) and accusing worshipers of extremism while encouraging them to convert to Christianity.
They are also barred from entering parts of Luton after an injunction was granted to Bedfordshire Police last week.
Police argued the group’s activists were causing “community tensions” in Luton. The no-go spots include exclusion zones in the Bury Park area and town centre.
The injunction also means the pair are not allowed to publish, broadcast, distribute or display any films or images in those areas. Golding and Fransen face arrest if they breach any of the listed terms.
Last January around 25 Britain First activists walked through the Bury Park area, which has a high Muslim population, brandishing Christian crosses. At one point a Britain First activist was heard urging local Muslims to reject the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and accept “Jesus Christ as the Lord.”
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Assistant Chief Constable Mike Colbourne of Bedfordshire Police said the injunction was “not a decision we take lightly.”
He said: “Luton is an incredibly diverse and vibrant town and we will not tolerate any individual who seeks to cause disharmony or provoke tensions within our communities.
“I would like to be clear that we would never seek to ban demonstrations or peaceful protest, however we have a duty to protect our communities and will always act in their best interests.”
Britain First has said it was forced to accept the terms of the injunction because it faced huge legal costs if it fought and lost the case. It said it preferred to preserve the wider “patriotic movement” instead of fighting a legal battle it could not win.
