'I guarantee this building isn't used to build bombs': Liverpool imam reaches out to far-right protesters outside mosque

3 August 2024, 11:46

A Muslim chaplain has revealed how he met with far-right protesters during Friday night's riots in Liverpool following the Southport stabbings, where he invited demonstrators inside the mosque they had been protesting outside.

The knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Monday which left three girls dead sparked violent disorder in some cities and towns in England - including Liverpool.

Adam Kelwick, from the Abdullah Quilliam mosque in Merseyside, said he initially wanted to open the doors of the mosque to protesters but had been advised not to over safety concerns.

But Mr Kelwich said at the end of the night one of the demonstrators came into the mosque where he explained it was "a simple prayer space" for "a simple community" with "a simple faith".

"I guarantee you none of these rooms in this building are used to build bombs," the chaplain said he told the demonstrator in a video posted to social media.

"Unfortunately they're the images that go around about the Muslim community - and he seemed fine with it."

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Mr Kelwich his mosque would now look to hold an evening for "an open and honest discussion" called "Questioning Islam". He said a similar event had been held before with members of far-right organisations like the EDL and the Football Lads Alliance.

"Sometimes they're (demonstrators) very passionate," he said. "But once they see that we're genuine and honest and they listen to us - and they hear from our perspective, not from some random conspiracy theorist online teaching them about our religion and Islam - they hear it, as the saying goes, from the horse's mouth."

Mr Kelwich said he wanted the evening to be "a continuation from the bridges built" on Friday night.

"We're going to welcome their questions and we're going to listen to each other - and we're going to eat food together."

During Friday night's demonstrations in the city, a crowd of about 200 anti-racist protesters gathered outside the Liverpool mosque after rumours of the far-right protest.

A small scuffle subsequently broke out between protesters as one crossed the road towards demonstrators protecting the Abdullah Quilliam mosque, forcing police to move in.

Those outside the mosque chanted: "Say it loud, say it clear: Refugees are welcome here."

One man, among a small group on the opposite side of the road, replied: "Are they f***."

Those outside the mosque also chanted: "Nazi scum, off our streets."

One of the anti-racism protesters was a seventy-year-old pensioner named Pat who held a placard saying "Nans against Nazis".

She told the PA news agency: "We're telling them wherever they go, we'll be there. We've never allowed them in the city of Liverpool."

She said she began protesting 50 years ago, against the National Front.

She added: "Someone said to me 'you're too old, don't be doing this' but as long as they're here someone's got to do it."

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Dozens more protests have been since been planned for this weekend in the wake of the Southport stabbings.

Campaign group Hope Not Hate has identified more than 30 protests planned across the UK over the next two days.

The majority of Friday evening's violence came in Sunderland where rioters battled police in the streets following a planned protest linked to the Southport knife attack.

Hundreds of people gathered in Keel Square, many of them draped in England flags, and members of the crowd chanted in support of Tommy Robinson, while others shouted insults about Islam.

Some protesters were involved in violence, setting an overturned car on fire, while others targeted a mosque.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show a fire at a city centre police office, which is thought to be no longer active.

Northumbria Police said in a post on X that its officers had been “subjected to serious violence”, and added that three officers were taken to hospital.

Eight people have so far been arrested for a range of offences, including violent disorder and burglary, the force added.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister returned to Southport on Friday, visiting the town for the second time this week after Monday’s knife attack.

Sir Keir announced further support for Southport, including mental health support for those affected by the attack and a programme of events to help build community cohesion.

The 17-year-old charged with the murders of three girls in Southport appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, and was named as Axel Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire.

He is charged with the murders of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.

Rudakubana is also charged with the attempted murders of yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas, businessman Mr Hayes and eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and with possession of a kitchen knife with a curved blade.

He was remanded to youth detention accommodation and will next appear in court in October.