School hosts extremists' meeting

by Rachael Dickson

Extremists deemed a threat to 'public order and wellbeing in the borough' by the council held a secret meeting at a primary school on Sunday.

Islam4UK only announced Sudbury Primary School, in Watford Road, Wembley as the location of the conference on the Islamic State on Sunday, the day it took place.

Cleric Omar Bakri Muhammed, banned from the UK for preaching hate, spoke by phone from Lebanon on how an Islamic state could be set up in Britain.

As reported in the Times last week, Vale Farm Sports Centre, a council property also in Watford Road, Wembley, was initially posted by the group on their website as the location of the event.

At that time, a spokesman for Islam4UK said the event was never meant to take at the sports centre, but that it was the group's practice to book two venues for events to avoid problems from people wishing to stop the events.

A council spokesman said at the time that the council believed Islam4UK was a new name for illegal organization Al-Ghurubaa and would not allow a council building to be used by them.

Brent Council leader Paul Lorber said: "We have no control over lettings in schools. There's something called local management of schools that councils introduced many years ago.

"Unfortunately if somebody wants to come into Brent and hire a school, we would know nothing about it.

"It is unfortunate that the people who did the book were trying to deceive people. All we knew about was the publicity of the Vale Farm Sports Centre, which we do control.

"We made absolutely sure that there was no letting of it. There's nothing we can do about the schools.

"If extreme statements are being made and if extremists are trying to create divisions within our community, yes, it does bother me. But unfortunately it's an issue with the schools.

"Whoever hired the school was not honest with the school about what the event was about.