Religious leaders and anti-fascist groups have reacted with anger after it was confirmed the controversial leader of France's National Front party, Jean Marie Le Pen, is to visit the West Midlands this weekend. Le Pen, who is a guest of the British National Party, is to speak at a black tie dinner at an undisclosed location on Sunday. His visit is expected to attract the BNP's top brass to the region, who are campaigning for votes in the run-up to the forthcoming European and local elections. The Government last night refused to bar Le Pen from the country despite calls from a number of quarters, including Labour MP George Galloway. Unite Against Fascism, which is holding a protest rally in Victoria Square on Sunday, called on Home Secretary David Blunkett to intervene. Sabby Dhalu, the organisation's joint secretary, said: "Le Pen's visit is deliberately designed to whip up racism and stir up tensions in the run-up to the local elections. It is for this reason that we call upon the Home Secretary to ban his visit." Dr Mohammed Naseem, chairman of the Birmingham Central Mosque, also expressed concern. "His presence is not going to help the harmony we have achieved in this city," he said. "In a democracy, everyone is entitled to express their opinions and invite whoever they wish to this country, but I would ask people to boycott him because I do not think he is in our national interest." Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi, of the Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, added: "Le Pen's views are repugnant, they are offensive and divisive. "He stirs things up to make it difficult to work towards harmony, but banning him would be counter-productive because it makes him a hero." Salma Yaqoob, from Midland anti-fascist group Respect, said: "Le Pen is not welcome in Birmingham, the West Midlands, or indeed anywhere in Britain by more than a tiny handful of people." Mr Galloway, MP for Glasgow Kelvin, said: "Le Pen should not be allowed to step foot on to British soil at any time." Le Pen remains a powerful political force in France, consistently gaining between eight and 14 per cent of the election vote. He is against homosexuals and believes AIDs sufferers should be isolated, the death penalty re-introduced, and abortion criminalised. BNP regional organiser Simon Darby last night confirmed the visit. "He will attend a black tie dinner, but I can't tell you where because there are a lot of people who will want to spoil it," he said. A spokeswoman for the Home Office said: "If we had evidence that an individual's visit to the UK was not in the public interest and detrimental to public order we would examine it and consider excluding the person." | 
