THE organiser of an anti-Muslim 9/11 protest which sparked violent scenes on the streets of Wealdstone is considering trying to hold it again.

The demonstration by Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) which was suppose to take place outside Harrow Central Mosque was called off at the last minute after it became clear protesters could get injured in clashes with supporters of a pro-mosque counter-demonstration.

But Stephen Gash, the 56-year-old organiser, who was arrested shortly before 5pm on Friday, September 11, to avoid a breach of the peace, said he would be happy to return to Harrow to protest.

He said: “In mosques throughout the world, what's said to westerners in English is that Islam is a religion of peace. But in Urdu and Arabic, Jihad is preached in mosques. That's irrefutable.

“I have been thinking about doing another one in Harrow. I was annoyed it was called off, and I would be happy to be there on my own reading my speech out.”

Mr Gash, a self-confessed “bigot against Islam”, described SIOE as a “very hard line anti-Islam organisation” but denied it was racist or xenophobic in any way.

Their plans to demonstrate outside the mosque, in Station Road, encouraged more than a thousand people to turn out in opposition, under the premise of defending the mosque and the Harrow community.

However, when the SIOE protest was scrapped, groups of predominantly Asian men took their anger and frustration out on police, pelting them with missiles in several pitched battles around the streets of Wealdstone.

Mr Gash has been keen to distance his organisation from groups like the English Defence League, and condemned pictures of supporters who made it to Harrow making Nazi salutes.

However, he said EDL members would be welcome on his protests so long as they obey the rules, and responded angrily to comments communities minister John Denham MP made in the wake of the Harrow protests likening the EDL and SIOE to Nazis from the 1930s.

Mr Gash said: “We have got support from persecuted groups for whom nobody but nobody is speaking up. It really angers me then, when you get a prat like John Denham branding me as a fascist.

“I fail to see why we get called fascists when Muslims can do what they damn well like without impunity.

“The government deserve the EDL because they are not interested in addressing the problems of the country, they just want to go around calling people fascists.”

Superintendent Julia Pendry, who co-ordinated the police response to the Harrow protests, said there was nothing stop Mr gash and his supporters returning provided the protest was peaceful and lawful.

She said: “We have to consider the balance of the rights of the individuals to protest and the needs of the community.

“You cannot ban a protest just because there was disorder here the last time. But if he does come back, he is a very brave man.”

Superintendent Pendry also called on the mosque to work with its young members in the aftermath of the protests.

She said: “It was quite appalling behaviour outside the mosque, and it must be made clear that some young people from Harrow obviously got mixed up with it.

“Support from the mosque on the day was tremendous and the stewards were first class, but I think the mosque has some work to do now with the young people, around perceptions of how they think they should be behaving.”