A Bromley councillor has condemned “out and out lies” in a leaflet from the British National Party attacking plans to “build a mosque” in the borough. Colin Willetts said residents in St Paul’s Cray had been concerned over the literature and feared it could spark divisions in the community. “They are out and out lies,” said Mr Willetts, who represents Cray Valley West ward. “I have had to reassure residents that, if there were an application to build a mosque, obviously I would let them know. The leaflet gives the impression they are going to build something when, in actual fact, there has been no planning application.”
The BNP’s Cray Valley Matters special edition leaflet, containing the headline “Tories set to give go-ahead for mosque in St Paul’s Cray”, was delivered to residents and alleges the council had given permission for a mosque in Sevenoaks Road. The leaflet includes a picture of a building with a golden dome superimposed on its roof above a caption saying “how Cray Valley might look with a mosque”. It also provides “facts you should know about radical Islam”, claiming followers aim to “take over as the dominant religious force in the UK” and blaming Labour and Conservatives for “courting the Muslim vote”.