EURO MP Richard Howitt yesterday insisted visiting fellow members of the European Parliament had taken away a positive impression of Luton, despite opposition from the English Defence League.
The delegation was met with booing and chants from EDL members when they arrived at Luton Town Hall yesterday afternoon (Thursday May 26). The group held placards calling Mr Howitt a ‘coward’ and chanted ‘Muslim bombers off our streets’.
Talks inside the Town Hall on Luton’s efforts to combate extremism were followed by a meeting with members of the Luton Council of Faiths at the Coffee Pot cafe in Bury Park.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Howitt said: “I’m really proud of what Luton has achieved. The Luton in Harmony initiative is a beacon not just in Luton but across the whole of Europe.”