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Police to view footage of rally attended by Britain First

Britain First leader Paul Golding
Britain First leader Paul Golding Britain First leader Paul Golding

Police have said they will review footage of a rally attended by far right group Britain First to establish if any offences have been committed.

Several dozen people attended the ‘Northern Ireland Against Terrorism’ rally outside Belfast City Hall on Sunday.

The event was attended by senior members of Britain First including leader Paul Golding and deputy leader Jayda Fransen who both spoke.

A counter protest organised by ‘Belfast Says No to Fascism’ was held nearby and attended by west Belfast MLA Gerry Carroll.

During the event, which was organised by independent unionist councillor Jolene Bunting, Jayda Fransen described mosques as “dens of iniquity” and claimed the “world is at war with Islam”.

She also confirmed that Britain First is attempting to organise in the north.

A spokesman for the Electoral Commission last night confirmed that it has submitted an application to be registered as a political party and this is currently being assessed.

During the event several Union and Ulster flags were on display while another bore the name of US president Donald Trump.

Paul Golding claimed Britain First was “conceived and launched in Northern Ireland” and “we based our entire movement on Ulster loyalism and Ulster unionism”.

A spokesman for the PSNI said: “An evidence gathering operation was in place, and all footage will be reviewed to determine if any offences have been committed.”