Both major political parties in Croydon have joined forces to condemn the British National Party’s ‘distorted’ campaign against a mosque being built in New Addington.
The estate’s four Labour ward councillors, Conservative Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell and the Tory Greater London Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton Steve O’Connell, have released a joint statement regarding a campaign they have attributed to the BNP.
It is in relation to a meeting called this Sunday (August 17) at the ACA [Addington Community Association] regarding the possibility of a mosque being built in New Addington, which they say is clearly being organised by the BNP.
In May, the Advertiser reported the Shirley branch of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community were considering New Addington for a new base but were also looking at Addington, Shirley and South Croydon.
The area’s councillors, Mr Barwell and Cllr O’Connell have today accused the BNP of running an “opportunistic hate-driven campaign”.
Their statement said: “There is a very strong community in New Addington. The BNP is seeking to divide this strong community and create tensions in a community where people from many different races and religions happily live together and support each other.
“Sadly, this is not the first time they have tried to do this in New Addington. The BNP has, throughout this campaign, sought to whip up fear and incite islamophobia.
“Apart from anything else, this is so wrong for the approximately one in five residents of New Addington who are Muslim. We believe that, as before, the people of New Addington will unite to oppose this.”
The statement adds: “The BNP like to think of themselves as patriots. But there is nothing British about seeking to deny people the freedom to practice their religion. Their values are the opposite of British values.
“New Addington is a venue for many different religions and religious groups, who celebrate their religion at various venues, some dedicated and some multi-use buildings.
“We believe in religious tolerance and religious freedom and that different religions should be able to celebrate their faith. We therefore would have no problem with the principle of there being a mosque in New Addington.
“We are committed to supporting New Addington to remain a tolerant community with a strong sense of community and identity.”
Croydon Advertiser, 13 August 2014
This is the full text of the statement:
We are aware that a meeting has been called at the ACA on 17 August regarding the issue of a mosque in New Addington.
We wished to respond, on a cross-party basis, as the elected representatives for New Addington at a local, London and national level.
It is clear that the whole ‘New Addington Mosque’ campaign, including street stalls and this meeting, is being run by the British National Party as an opportunistic hate-driven campaign.
There is a very strong community in New Addington. The BNP is seeking to divide this strong community and create tensions in a community where people from many different races and religions happily live together and support each other. Sadly, this is not the first time they have tried to do this in New Addington.
The BNP has, throughout this campaign, sought to whip up fear and incite islamophobia. Apart from anything else, this is so wrong for the approximately one in five residents of New Addington who are Muslim. We believe that, as before, the people of New Addington will unite to oppose this.
As well as all sorts of distortions and half-truths peddled by the BNP, the whole basis of this campaign is flawed. They have mis-represented an article with a misleading headline about a Muslim group that was looking for a site to worship from somewhere in the east of the Borough and turned it into a fiction that there is a plan to build a mosque in New Addington.
The BNP like to think of themselves as patriots. But there is nothing British about seeking to deny people the freedom to practice their religion. Their values are the opposite of British values.
New Addington is a venue for many different religions and religious groups, who celebrate their religion at various venues, some dedicated and some multi-use buildings. We believe in religious tolerance and religious freedom and that different religions should be able to celebrate their faith. We therefore would have no problem with the principle of there being a mosque in New Addington.
We are committed to supporting New Addington to remain a tolerant community with a strong sense of community and identity.
You might like to contact Addington Community Association and politely express your concern that they have agreed to rent out a meeting room to a divisive campaign which targets the Muslim community and is widely recognised as a BNP front. Contact details for the ACA can be found here.
The BNP have been targeting local Labour councillors over the issue, including posting a Youtube video of one of their activists harassing Cllr Oliver Lewis over his refusal to sign their anti-mosque petition. As the BNP’s Croydon and Sutton Patriots website explains:
“The people here in Addington are getting increasingly frustrated of not being listened to, and now that we have Labour councillors representing us, they will continue to cover their ears to the concerns of white voters, only wanting to listen to their CORE voters, the immigrant aliens to Addington.”
Update: See “New Addington centre refuses to stage BNP meeting”, Inside Croydon, 15 August 2014
Update 2: See also “Ahmadiyya Muslim Community refuse to be deterred by British National Party campaign against possible mosque in New Addington”, Croydon Guardian, 21 August 2014