Revealed: Labour councillor hosted Islamist hate cleric at Northampton Guildhall

This broadcaster uncovered a lengthy history of Abbasi delivering vile speeches, which included calling for the beheading of non-Muslims and the deaths of those who belong to the persecuted Ahamdi sect.

The Islamist also said: “If anybody dares to criticise our Prophet (Mohammed) that person should be declared as a disbeliever and hence his/her head should be chopped off.”

Abbasi had also made several anti-Semitic speeches, praised the 9/11 terrorists as “brave lions”, and lauded both Osama bin Laden and the leadership of the Taliban insurgency.

The hate cleric was due to speaking at major events in Newham, east London, and Leicester and Luton, but all of the venues cancelled the talks after a GB News investigation.

This broadcaster can now reveal that the Islamist was hosted by a Labour councillor during his now-cancelled speaking tour.

Enam Haque, a Labour councillor at West Northamptonshire Council, hosted Abbasi at Northampton’s Guildhall on June 16, at the start of the hate preacher’s country-wide tour.

Haque said that it was a “great pleasure and momentous occasion” to host the Islamist speaker, who has urged his followers to behead non-Muslims.

Haque, who has been a councillor since 2021, shared several photos of him with Abbasi in the Guildhall, describing the hate cleric as a “highly respected and prominent Islamic scholar”.

Footage shared with GB News shows Abbasi being toured around the central Northampton location by Haque and an entourage.

Abbasi is a popular figure in Bangladesh, with his gatherings attracting huge audiences. His talks in Birmingham and Leeds attracted large crowds and his anticipated events were set to be sell-outs before this broadcaster’s investigation led to several cancellations.

Events in East London, Luton, Leicester were pulled and Abbasi has since returned to Bangladesh.

In a statement to GB News, Councillor Haque said: “I was completely unaware of Enayutullah Abbasi’s abhorrent views and I condemn them in the strongest possible terms.

“As local councillors, we are often asked to meet with international visitors as representatives of Northampton.

I received a late call from Enayutullah Abbasi’s representative requesting to see the civic side of our town, which I accepted in good faith. Had I known of his views, I would never have agreed.

“I apologise profusely for my actions and any offence caused.”

A council spokesperson said: “This visit was not organised by or at the invitation of West Northamptonshire Council – our members have access and are able to invite third parties to view the public parts of the building.

“It is an important part of our democratic engagement that meetings are open to the public, and we don’t deny access to these areas unless we believe there is a security risk.”