Locals recoil at far right Timperley protest

Legitimate concerns about a greenbelt planning proposal face being undermined after the far right hijacked a protest in the south Manchester suburb of Timperley.

The proposal by the Altrincham and Hale Muslim Association to build a community centre has met a mixed response from local residents. Some have argued that the site is more brownfield and currently unsightly, whilst others have contended that as designated green belt land it should be protected from development. These views are the ones that local planning authorities will need consider, in line with development guidelines, when deciding the fate of the application.

They’re likely to be less swayed by the internet-vocal minority of far right activists who have attached themselves to the campaign. For them it’s the proposed use, rather than green belt site, that is the issue.

Key among these is Angela Holbrooks who, at least up until recently, was a proud card-carrying member of the British National Party. Her name appeared on the leaked members list back in 2008 and she was posting in support of the party as late as spring 2014, as it was beginning to implode.

Angela has organised a protest in Timperley for tomorrow and got very agitated when online commentators questioned her motives and political affiliations. She has threated legal action against those who have pointed out that she was a BNP member and the affiliations of others involved in organising tomorrow’s protest. We wonder if she’ll simlarly threaten local news website Hale & Altrincham Life which has made the very same connections.

These include her daughter, Louise Cleeveley, who has mysteriously also campaigned on Facebook against a Muslim burial ground in the Ribble Valley, the best part of 50 miles north of Timperley.

Angela and Louise are admins of a now secret Stop The Islamic Community Centre group along with one-time EDL Manchester organiser, Lee Dargue, aka Lee Middleton. The fourth admin is of unknown provenance.

Members of the group include former EDL and North West Infidel, Mark Wood, ex BNP and now freelance fascist Craig Barnes and EDL activists Nadia Sculpher and Danny Mercer, of Preston and South London respectively.

There are more, but one in particular caught our eye. Paul Golding. We trust he won’t turn up tomorrow. After all the leader of Britain First is not known for campaigning on green belt issues.