| Gavin Boby | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964 or 1965 (age 59–60) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Known for | Anti-mosque litigation |
Gavin Boby (born 1964 or 1965) is a British anti-mosque lawyer. A self-declared "mosque-buster", Boby advices and campaigns against planning permits of new mosques in the United Kingdom.
Anti-mosque activities
As director of the Law and Freedom Foundation, Boby helps "local neighbourhoods to resist planning applications for mosques". As of 2023, he takes credit for the rejection of 58 out of 95 planning applications for UK mosques which he has contested in the preceding decade. Some councils have however disputed that he has been instrumental in blocking the development of local mosques, instead attributing them to other issues.
In order to legally oppose mosque constructions, he cites issues such as "non-regulation number of parking spaces", and gives advice centring on arguments such as "parking congestion", "disturbance" and "community relations". In speeches in opposition to mosque constructions, he has however referred to mosques' historical uses as "fortresses" and "places of executions", and added that "terrorists form plots in mosques" where "they cannot be detected". His organisation's logo features a mock-up of the movie Ghostbusters, with the ghost in the logo exchanged for radical former UK-based Muslim cleric Abu Hamza.
Boby has additionally provided advice abroad to Australian anti-mosque activists such as the Q Society of Australia and to the Bendigo mosque protesters. He has also spoken to activists in Canada, and been interviewed by Erick Stakelbeck on CBN News in the United States.
Other activities
In an initiative called "Never Shall Be Slaves", Boby also offers pro bono legal support for victims of British-Pakistani child exploitation gangs. On his YouTube channel, he has called for "mass repatriations" of immigrants from the UK.
He has been considered a part of the counter-jihad movement, and was a speaker at the 2012 counter-jihad conference in Brussels, Belgium. He has also spoken at a Pegida rally in Dresden, Germany, and to For Frihed (formerly Pegida Denmark).
References
- ^ "Britain now has a far-right 'mosque-buster'". Business Standard. 29 January 2013. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023.
- Kerbaj, Richard; Henry, Robin (13 January 2013). "'Mosque buster' lawyer gives free advice on how to block worship". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023.
- Johnson, Spike (23 February 2012). "Mosquebusters". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023.
- ^ Safi, Michael (23 June 2014). "UK 'mosque-buster' advising Bendigo residents opposed to Islamic centre". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023.
- ^ Bateman, Jessica (24 July 2023). "The fight-back against anti-mosque campaigners". Hyphen. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023.
- Haddow, Joshua (19 April 2012). "Hate the Thought of Muslims Being Near You? Call Mosquebusters". Vice News. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025.
- Weich, Ben (24 October 2017). "Tempers flare at Islamic centre meeting". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023.
- "Anti-mosque lawyer speaks in Ottawa despite protests". CBC News. 4 February 2013. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023.
- Stakelbeck, Erick (11 December 2012). "Stakelbeck on Terror Show: Mega-Mosque Madness". CBN News. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023.
- ^ Jamin, Jérome (2016). L'extrême droite en Europe. Bruylant. ISBN 9782802755548.
- Lowles, Nick (July 2015). The Muhammad Cartoons: The Counter-Jihadist Plot To Ignite A Civil War In Britain. Hope not hate (Report). p. 20. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023 – via Issuu.
- Lazaridis, Gabriella; Campani, Giovanna (2016). Understanding the Populist Shift: Othering in a Europe in Crisis. Taylor & Francis. p. 150. ISBN 9781317326069.
- Vorländer, Hans; Herold, Maik; Schäller, Steven (2018). PEGIDA and New Right-Wing Populism in Germany. Springer. p. 67. ISBN 9783319674957.
- Ruus, Torsten; Bachmann, Ulrik (6 February 2016). "Ondt blod i København: Kamphaner strides på ord". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 7 May 2023.