Police are seeking to have the leaders of anti-Islam political party Britain First banned from visiting any mosque in England or Wales or even entering parts of the town of Luton for the next three years.
The party is known for its “Christian patrols,” mosque invasions and anti-Islam protests in Luton.
Bedfordshire Police have sought a High Court injunction against the group’s leader, Paul Golding, and his deputy, Jayda Fransen, following “harassment” of communities in Luton.
In a statement, chief superintendent David Boyle told the Luton Herald & Post that the force is attempting to get the injunction “due to concerns that their presence in these areas could increase the possibility of disorder and antisocial behavior.”
The application, to be heard next month, will ask that Golding and Fransen be banned for three years from “entering any mosque or Islamic cultural center or its private groups within England and Wales without any prior written invitation.”
It also seeks to ban the pair from entering Luton’s Bury Park without police permission, and that they give at least two weeks’ written warning should they wish to enter Luton town center.
They would not be allowed to enter Luton more than once every two months should any consent be given.
Britain First says if the measures are granted, it could lead to other police forces seeking similar bans, effectively preventing them from campaigning in town centers across the country.
“If we don’t win, we are finished,” Golding told IBT.
“What we are dealing with here is a direct challenge to our right to exist as a political party.
“If Luton police can achieve such an injunction against a legally registered political party, then what’s to stop every other town in the country applying similar injunctions?
“We could end up being bled dry with endless court appearances and injunctions that simply make it impossible for Britain First to continue operating.”
The move comes a year after Bedfordshire Police launched another High Court application against Golding and Fransen in an attempt to ban them from Luton prior to a Britain First march last June.
That bid failed, but an interim injunction was handed down which banned the pair from publishing or distributing material which is “likely to stir up religious and/or racial hatred.”
Eight months later, the pair were banned from entering Luton under temporary bail conditions after they were arrested following an anti-Islam march through Bury Park in January.
Golding and Fransen were later arrested on suspicion of wearing a political uniform, but have still not been charged.