Britain First today posted an angry video claiming it had been “ABUSED” outside the East London Mosque for the “heinous crime of standing on a British pavement and filming” - despite clear evidence to the contrary.
Leader, Paul Golding, recorded a five minute diatribe from a car as they left the scene, claiming if they had stayed any longer they would have been “physically attacked”.
He says: “We’ve just gone into the Whitechapel area of London with some leaflets and we’ve walked past the East London Mosque and we were very quickly surrounded by an ever-increasing mob of Muslims and white liberals screaming abuse.
“We had things thrown at us, we had people spit at us and this was for the heinous crime of standing on a British pavement and filming.
“That’s all we did... Whose country is this?”
But pictures and video posted by the mosque tell a very different story and show the far-right group was being deliberately provocative just before prayers when Muslims in the area were helping those affected by the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower.
A video also shows Golding and another member of Britain First blocking traffic whilst filming.
Golding can be heard saying: “This used to be our area, it will be our area once again.”
The East London Mosque said in a statement: “The far-right Britain First group turned up again outside the East London Mosque today, as the congregation prepared for midday prayers and collected donations for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.
“Far-right extremist Paul Golding and his cronies have targeted the local Muslim community in the past. We condemn their attempts to create tension in our communities.
“Once again, they showed flagrant disregard for British traffic laws, parking on a zig-zag next to a busy pedestrian crossing and blocking entirely the cycle lane!”
The East London Mosque is fundraising for those affected by the fire and is currently delivering food to those in need.
Muslims who were awake because they were beginning their Ramadan fast “saved people’s lives” when a deadly blaze broke out at a west London tower block, HuffPost UK has been told.
A local woman told HuffPost UK: “Muslim boys saved people’s lives. They ran around knocking on people’s doors. Thank God for Ramadan”
Britain First has been contacted for comment.