A British National Party member from Shropshire has lost his High Court bid to overturn a conviction for displaying a controversial poster on Islam.

Mark Norwood, from St Martin’s Road in Gobowen, was convicted last December of the religiously aggravated offence of putting up a poster picturing one of the Twin Towers in flames and containing the words “Protect the British people”.

The Muslim symbols of a crescent and star were also shown surrounded by a prohibition sign.

The 41-year-old, who was fined £300 for the offence, had argued that displaying the poster was a legitimate exercise of freedom of speech under the Human Rights convention.

‘Insulting attack’

But on Thursday, two High Court judges ruled the poster was an unlawful “public expression of attack on all Muslims in this country”.

One of the judges, Lord Justice Auld, said the words, photograph and symbols on the poster “were clearly racially directed and racially insulting”.

“In my view, it could not, on any reasonable basis be dismissed as merely an intemperate criticism or protest against the tenets of the Muslim religion, as distinct from an unpleasant and insulting attack on its followers generally,” he said.

Last month Norwood, who is also a regional organiser for the BNP, admitted a charge of common assault and obstructing police after getting into an argument with drinkers at a pub in Oswestry.

He was given a six-month community rehabilitation order on Tuesday by Oswestry magistrates.