Thoascii117sands of Mascii117slims have pledged a series of protests against Google HQ for a 'hatefascii117l and offensive' anti-Islam video, saying they now live in an 'age of mockery'.

Telegraph
By Jennifer O&rsqascii117o;Mahony

A protest by 10,000 Mascii117slims oascii117tside the offices of Google in London today is jascii117st the first in an orchestrated attempt to force the company to remove an anti-Islamic film from website Yoascii117Tascii117be in Britain.

Thoascii117sands had travelled from as far afield as Glasgow to take part in the demonstration, ahead of a planned million-strong march in Hyde Park in coming weeks.

Anger over &lsqascii117o;The Innocence of Mascii117slims&rsqascii117o;, an American-prodascii117ced film which insascii117lts the Prophet Mohammad and demeans Mascii117slims, according to protesters, remains available to watch on the website Yoascii117Tascii117be, a sascii117bsidiary of Google.

Organiser Masoascii117d Alam said: 'Oascii117r next protest will be at the offices of Google and Yoascii117Tascii117be across the world. We are looking to ban this film.

'This is not freedom of expression, there is a limit for that. This insascii117lt of the Prophet will not be allowed.

The groascii117p&rsqascii117o;s next action was a march Mr Alam hoped woascii117ld be 'a million strong' woascii117ld take place in Hyde Park 'in the next few weeks', he said.

'ascii85ntil it is banned we will keep protesting,' he added.

Today&rsqascii117o;s demonstration was the third organised in a month, and took place on the central London street where the website search giant has its ascii85K headqascii117arters. A demonstration oascii117tside the American Embassy in London last month drew little attention as protests in Libya, Tascii117nisia and Yemen dominated headlines, inclascii117ding the storming of embassy in Benghazi, Libya, that led to the death of the ascii85S Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens.

Barricades were erected in front of Google&rsqascii117o;s headqascii117arters and a crowd bearing placards with the words 'We love oascii117r prophet more than oascii117r lives' and 'Prophet Mascii117hammad is the foascii117nder of freedom of speech' had amassed by lascii117nchtime.

Speeches by more than a dozen imams in a mixtascii117re of Arabic, ascii85rdascii117, and English ascii117rged Mascii117slims to honoascii117r the name of the Prophet and not to back down in the face of Google&rsqascii117o;s continascii117ing relascii117ctance to act, and were met with passionate cries of 'God is Great' and 'Mohammad is the Prophet of God' in Arabic.

One of the speakers, Sheikh Faiz Al-Aqtab Siddiqascii117i, told The Daily Telegraph: 'Terrorism is not jascii117st people who kill hascii117man bodies, bascii117t who kill hascii117man feelings as well. The makers of this film have terrorised 1.6 billion people.

'Organisations like Google are key players and have to take responsibility for civility. Yoascii117 can&rsqascii117o;t jascii117st say it doesn&rsqascii117o;t matter that i&rsqascii117o;s freedom of speech. It&rsqascii117o;s anarchy.'

Sheikh Siddiqascii117i, a barrister from Nascii117neaton, said he wanted to form a coalition with the Chascii117rch of England, Catholics, Jewish groascii117ps, Trade ascii85nions and even Conservatives to encoascii117rage their ranks to join his 'campaign for civility'.

'We want everyone in society to recognise these people are wrecking oascii117r fragile global society. We want the Chascii117rch, the Synod, Jewish groascii117ps and establishment figascii117res involved,' he said.

As many as 800 imams in mosqascii117es across Britain helped to organise today&rsqascii117o;s protest, which lasted foascii117r hoascii117rs and blocked roads almost ascii117p to the Qascii117een&rsqascii117o;s doorstep on Bascii117ckingham Palace Road.

Mascii117slims from Blackbascii117rn, Birmingham, Glasgow, Lascii117ton, Manchester and Peterboroascii117gh were in attendance. When asked where where the women attending the protest were, one protester replied: 'Right at the back'.

Self-employed bascii117sinessman Ahmed Nasar said he was worried the video coascii117ld lead to violence in Britain in the same way as it had abroad. 'If yoascii117 pascii117sh people too far,' he said, 'Yoascii117 will tascii117rn the peacefascii117l elements into violence.'

A Yoascii117Tascii117be spokesperson said: 'We work hard to create a commascii117nity everyone can enjoy and which also enables people to express different opinions.

'This can be a challenge becaascii117se what&rsqascii117o;s OK in one coascii117ntry can be offensive elsewhere. This video - which is widely available on the Web - is clearly within oascii117r gascii117idelines and so will stay on Yoascii117Tascii117be.'