The leaders of the far-right group Britain First have been charged with causing religiously aggravated harassment.

Paul Golding, 35, and Jayda Fransen, 31, have been charged by Kent Police after allegedly distributing leaflets as four men stood trial for gang rape.

The trial involved three Muslim men and a teenager who were eventually convicted of rape and jailed.

Paul Golding, 35, and Jayda Fransen, 31, the leader and deputy leader of far-right group Britain First (pictured here in 2016)

The pair have been charged by Kent Police after allegedly distributing leaflets as four men stood trial for gang rape. They are pictured here at a Britain First demonstration this year

Golding and Fransen, both from Penge in south-east London, were arrested on May 10.

They were investigated over their alleged behaviour during the trial of four men for raping a teenage girl above the 555 Pizza takeaway in Ramsgate.

Shershah Muslimyar, 21, Tamin Rahmani, 38, and Rafiullah Hamidy, 24, were sentenced to 14 years each in prison while a teenager was jailed for seven years after brutally attacking the girl in September last year.

As the men stood trial in May, Golding and Franser are said to have distributed leaflets in the Thanet and Canterbury areas, and posted online videos during the court proceedings.

Today they both tweeted a link to a petition claiming the Home Office is 'persecuting' them for 'exposing militant Islam'.

Shortly before entering the police station, Golding and Fransen filmed themselves vowing to 'never give up' on 'standing up for the British people'.

Fransen has been charged with four counts of causing religiously aggravated harassment, and Golding three counts. They are pictured here at a rally in Rochdale in July

Golding said in the Facebook Live footage: 'It doesn't matter what happens today or what happens in the future, you can rest assured that you have two political party leaders here who will never give up under any circumstances.

'We will fight to the bitter end for our country and we will never surrender, we will never give up.'

Fransen has been charged with four counts of causing religiously aggravated harassment, and Golding three counts.

The maximum penalty on conviction of religiously aggravated harassment is two years' imprisonment.

Both have been bailed to appear before Medway magistrates on October 17.

Both have been bailed to appear before Medway magistrates on October 17

Britain First says it is not a racist but a loyalist movement.

The group, which is opposed to all mass immigration, has staged a number of demonstrations around Britain, usually attracting a few hundred protesters.

The former leader of the English Defence League (EDL) was given a suspended prison sentence for contempt of court in May after filming outside the court during the same rape trial.

In a video posted online, Tommy Robinson filmed himself describing the defendants, who had not yet been convicted, as 'paedophiles' and claiming: 'It's going on across our country.'