As Muslims in Cumbria prepare for Eid day celebrations, far-right agitator, Nick Tenconi, has planned to stage an anti-mosque protest outside the newly built Islamic centre in Dalton-In-Furness. Locals rally to support the mosque.
The far-right protest is planned for March 20 outside the South Lakes Islamic Centre (SLIC) a new £2.5m mosque which is close to completion on the same day that many Muslims will be celebrating the arrival of Eid Al-Fitr.
The site has faced a campaign of hate and harassment by far-right groups since early 2025 when the news of the construction project hit right-wing media channels like GB News.
Nick Tenconi, the leader of a fringe far-right political group called the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), will be speaking at the protest.
In response to the anti-mosque protest, the SLIC released a statement of defiance.
“The South Lakes Islamic Centre stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Dalton’s residents in rejecting the UKIP-led protest planned for 20 March outside our site. This event, driven by far-right outsiders, seeks to sow division in a community that has always thrived on togetherness.
“Our Centre – belongs to all of us. It serves local British Muslims, from doctors and nurses to families raising children here, after years without a nearby mosque. Born from heartfelt neighbourly dialogue and council support, it’s a space for prayer, education, community and interfaith events open to everyone in Cumbria.
“These protests are not born from local voices but agitated by external forces chasing national headlines. Their rhetoric echoes past campaigns that bred fear and hate, pitting neighbour against neighbour. We know dialogue heals as protests only deepen rifts.
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“Dalton is always stronger united as we reject division and invite all residents, leaders, visitors – to join us in conversation, shared events and bridge-building. Our community rejects outside agitators; together, we choose harmony which the South Lakes Islamic Centre represents. South Lakes Islamic Centre.”
Local Christian support
Far-right activists and groups, including UKIP and Britain First have condemned the construction of a mosque in the area, located just outside England’s iconic Lake District claiming that the mosque represents “an Islamic takeover of Britain.”
However, many locals have rallied to defend the site.
In an article by The Mail in South Cumbria, Grace Cauldwell, a Methodist minister in Cumbria, said: “I am delighted that our fellow people of faith are able to worship and share community in their own space, here in the South Lakes, and look forward to working together to bless our communities, of all faiths and none, in the coming years.
“As a Christian I believe that ‘where love is, there is God’ and that Jesus stood against the powers of hatred and division, so I stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters and all who opposed bigotry and racism.”
The clerks of Swarthmoor (SW Cumbria) Quakers, Helen Bailey, Elizabeth Jones & Claire Entwistle, said: “Quakers in the Swarthmoor/Ulverston area have been greatly disturbed by the hostility currently being expressed against the building of the Mosque in Dalton, and against Islam in general.
“We are especially saddened to see Christianity distorted into a justification for anti-Muslim rhetoric. We are all people of faith who need to recognise that of God within each person and support each others’ expression of our faith.”
Tenconi claims to be a religious Christian activist who opposes the rise of Islam in the UK on religious grounds. However, his protests attract only small crowds and since he has taken over the leadership of UKIP the party has become increasingly irrelevant politically.
At the start of Ramadan, the SLIC opened its doors in a limited capacity to welcome in locals who were curious to learn more about the mosque and Islam. The event was well received and many people, attended and expressed support to the organisers.
One local who visited the site told 5Pillars how she thought the mosque was already “beautiful” and feels “very special” despite not being fully completed at this stage.
“The day itself was simply… nice. It wasn’t dramatic or tense. It was just people coming together, being shown around, asking questions and chatting. The welcome was fantastic and there was a real sense of optimism and pride from the organisers, which was genuinely lovely to see.
“The building is still being completed, but it already feels very special. The design is thoughtful, with beautiful use of light and windows that give the space a calm, open atmosphere. It feels peaceful and, in my view, very much in keeping with the area.
What stayed with me most was how ordinary and neighbourly the whole experience felt.”
Hate and harassment
Tenconi and UKIP have engaged in a campaign of Islamophobic hate across the UK in recent months.
In January, London Police stopped a planned UKIP hate march through a diverse part of east London amid fears of serious disorder. The Metropolitan Police said the protest could still go ahead elsewhere, but not in Tower Hamlets which has a large Muslim population.
Organisers of the UKIP march described the demonstration as a “crusade”, urging supporters to “reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists” and “take our country back.”
Police said the overtly Islamophobic rhetoric risked inflaming tensions and could lead to violence directed at Muslims, contributing heavily to their decision to block the march in an area with a large Muslim community
In February, another UKIP hate march was planned for Birmingham. The small gathering was met by a larger anti-racism protest.
Local Brummie activists accused UKIP of being “fascists” with a “Nazi salute loving leader.” Tenconi was famously filmed making a Nazi salute at another far-right rally in 2025.
Tenconi has also agitated outside the Cumbria mosque before. In a video posted on X in June 2025, Tenconi could be seen heckling workers, calling them “traitors” who have “sold their soul.”
In a separate video, Tenconi filmed himself spouting Islamophobic propaganda and conspiracy theories against the mosque.
“There is absolutely no need to put a mosque here. And the soul reason is to artificially flood the area with Muslims as an extension of ‘operation scatter,’ including ISIS warriors, Johnny Jihads, Islamists and the dregs of the Third World.
“They will descend on this poor Cumbrian community. Our Lake District is a national institution. We are being conquered.”
Locals have told 5Pillars that the anti-mosque protest has been planned with the intention of upsetting and intimidating Muslims who wish to celebrate Eid al-Fitr but a sizeable anti-racism rally has been planned for the day in order to protect the site.
