Racists have launched a vicious hate campaign in Swansea to protest against the opening of a new mosque. Thousands of leaflets have been pushed through letter boxes in the Sandfields area of the city to whip up anti-Muslim sentiment, it is claimed.

The area has been targeted by doorstep campaigners from the British National Party because of plans to open a new mosque in St Helen’s Road. Activists from the party found out about the plan to convert the old St Andrews United Reformed Church from a leading Islamic website.

The building is currently derelict after it was gutted by arsonists two years ago. Conversion into a mosque would save it from being pulled down. Planning permission from the council would not be needed because the building would be retained as a place of worship.

According to the BNP website more than 70 far right extremists have already met in the city to discuss their plan of action. The Post can reveal that only last month party chairman Nick Griffin and the national treasurer John Walker visited the city to canvass the area.

The Swansea branch of the pressure group Unite against fascism has now launched a city-wide campaign to counter it. According to Unite the BNP’s leaflets claim white people are being targeted in racist assaults and imply this will increase if the mosque is established. Unite spokesman Jane Richmond said today:

“This is simply an attempt to persecute Muslims. We have seen precisely the same tactic before. There of course not a grain of truth in it. The conversion of a derelict church to a Mosque not only saves a building but keeps it for the use it was intended, that is as a place of worship.

“We will not let this attempt to scapegoat Muslims go unchallenged. We call on all those who wish to ensure that the BNP and others like them fail in their attempt to bring racism to Swansea to join us in this campaign.”

BNP spokesman Philip Jones said: “The BNP leaflet is the first the people of Swansea would have heard of the planned Mosque on their doorstep. Nearly 1,000 leaflets were delivered that afternoon, with more such drops planned in the near future.”

South Wales Evening Post, 15 December 2004

See also “Police probe BNP mosque leaflet”, BBC News, 15 December 2004