Ban 'hate march' says Garrison Town MP

12.00.00am GMT Tue 5th Jan 2010

Colchester MP Bob Russell is co-sponsor of a Motion Tabled today in the House of Commons which calls on the Government to ban proposals by an extremist group to stage a protest march - carrying empty coffins - through Wootton Bassett, the small market town in Wiltshire which pays homage to hearses carrying the bodies of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan flown into nearby RAF Lyneham.

This is the route which on several occasions in 2008 witnessed processions of hearses carrying soldiers from the Colchester Garrison, members of 16 Air Assault Brigade, who had lost their lives in Helmand Province.

Mr Russell said: "It is appalling that anyone should even think of making a protest of this sort. I have been contacted by one of the young war widows of a Colchester soldier who is deeply upset. It may be just a stunt, but it is a sickening one which has no place in the minds of all decent people."

He added: "I am delighted that the mainstream Muslim community, including the Wiltshire Islamic Cultural Centre, have unreservedly condemned the proposed protest march and have called on the organisers not to proceed."

Those behind the proposed march are a small group of extremists known variously as "Islam4UK" or Al-Muhajiroun, founded by the exiled military cleric Omar Bakri Muhammad.

Mr Russell stressed: "They are not representative of British Muslims. It is important that a whole religion is not blamed because of the antics of a handful of extremists. Sadly, history tells us that all religions have experienced extremists."