Far-right British group lodges protest against water park for hosting 'only-Muslim day'

Park has also been accused of being 'racist' for hosting such events in the past

A far-right street protest group in the UK has accused a water park of holding an event “with extremist-linked groups”.

English Defence League called out WaterWorld Staffordshire, which is Britain’s biggest water park, for hosting “Muslim-only days” and announced to stage a protest outside the park, despite no such event taking place.

However, Water park staff reportedly tried to explain on Facebook that the event was designed “towards making Waterworld accessible to all cultures/groups”, that any ladies “of all religions/beliefs” were invited and that attendants could wear any swimming costume as long as it was not likely to cause offence to Muslim women.

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English Defence League is a street movement in Europe that primarily believes that Islamic extremism threatens their rights, their freedoms, and even their very lives, according to a statement on their website.

The event, open to women of all religions as well as boys up to the age of four, was flagged up on the EDL’s Facebook page and members have since inundated the park’s social media pages with website.

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The group objected to plans by Waterworld to set aside two hours on the evening of August 9 for an event designed to be culturally sensitive to Muslim women who would otherwise not attend a water park.

Steve Rose, of the website Religious Reader, noted that these events are “not a rarity at Waterworld”, and said the park had been accused of being “racist” for holding them in the past.

One Staffordshire-based Muslim woman hailed the “sisters-only” evenings at Waterworld in a blog post as far back as 2011, noting that they were hugely popular and “a great chance to have fun with the girls as it is a very rare occasion”.

Waterworld, which is still promoting the event on its website, was not immediately available for comment on the EDL’s planned protest.

This article originally appeared on The Independent