UK's Farage would ban mass Muslim prayer events near historic British sites

By Andrew MacAskill

LONDON, March 19 (Reuters) - Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, said on Thursday he would ban mass Muslim prayer at historic British sites if elected as prime minister, describing an event this week in London as an attempt to "overtake, intimidate and dominate".

Farage was weighing in on a debate that began this week when a Muslim public prayer event in Trafalgar Square was described as an "act of domination and division" by a different politician - Conservative Party justice spokesperson Nick Timothy.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for Timothy to be fired over the remarks.

Farage, a ​veteran campaigner for Britain's exit from the EU and friend of U.S. President Donald Trump who has been leading all national opinion polls since early last year, said events like the one in London were provocative.

"We have to get this right, you know we can't stop individuals praying, we don't want to stop individuals praying, but mass prayer is banned, mass Muslim prayer is banned in many Muslim countries in the Middle East," Farage said at the launch of his party's manifesto in Scotland.

"So, yes, we have to stop this kind of mass demonstration. This provocative demonstration in historic sites - because that is what it is."

AIMING FOR POWER

Reform's strong performance in polls has bolstered Farage's case that his party, which has existed in its current form for five years, could win power at the next election, due by 2029.

Farage said in a speech in Scotland that although Britain has a history of religious tolerance, the Muslim event in London was not "the private observance of a different religion, but the attempt to overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life".

Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London who is Muslim, was among those who attended Monday's peaceful event, which was hosted by the charity Ramadan Tent Project. Images showed hundreds of people, including Khan, praying at sunset before iftar when the daily Ramadan fast is broken.

Asked by a reporter to clarify on Thursday if he also planned to ban Catholic or Jewish mass religious events, Farage said: "I have never seen Jewish services taking place in places of historic Christian worship or anywhere else".

Starmer said on Wednesday that Christian, Jewish and Hindu gatherings also take place in Trafalgar Square, which he said shows Britain's diversity.