THE violent scenes and divisive rhetoric on show in last night’s Proud and Predujiced were not a fair representation of Luton, politicians have said this morning.
The Channel 4 documentary focused on Muslim extremist Sayful Islam and the leader of the English Defence League, Stephen Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
The film crew spent a year following the two men, and showed scenes from EDL marches and of Mr Islam preaching in Bury Park.
It also showed the original incident that sparked the formation of the EDL, when soldiers taking part in a homecoming parade were barracked by Muslim extremists.
Luton Borough Council leader Hazel Simmons said this morning that the two men had been given a “platform to unfairly represent Luton”.
“I already been inundated with messages from people who are extremely upset that our town has yet again been portrayed through the narrow lens of two sides of the extremist coin with no representation of the Luton that we know and love.
“The council and its partners do recognise that challenges to community cohesion exist in Luton.
“We also acknowledge the important role that the media has to play in highlighting these challenges, and questioning what can and is being done to address them.
“What does hurt Luton’s reputation, however, is if the views of a minority are unjustly portrayed as being somehow representative of our town.
“The majority of Lutonians are not touched by extremism in their daily lives. They live together in peace and harmony.”
A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: “The programme is a balanced examination of the rise of two extreme movements which pose a challenge to community cohesion not only in Luton but elsewhere in the UK.
“As Luton Borough Council acknowledges, and the BBC and other media have reported, there is an issue within the town with these two extremists groups.
“The film accurately alerted the public to the radical positions of both factions and fairly reflected the efforts of the council to restore cultural harmony.”