More than 100 people marched in Telford Friday demanding action against Muslim rape gangs, after revelations in the media suggested the town could have been hit by the largest grooming scandal in the UK.

The protest, organized by the Democratic Football Lads Alliance, called for a “full public inquiry” into the abuse. They were met by a socialist group of around 40 “anti-racists” who opposed the demonstration, claiming it was bigoted.

Those opposed to the grooming carried placards reading “Victims reach out, we will save you,” and “A vote 4 Labour is a vote for rape.”

Others read, “police inaction is a reality,” and described the rapists as “racists.”

UKIP MEP Bill Etheridge made a speech to the crowd, saying he was proud to support the Football Lads Alliance. “This is to do with standing up for what’s right,” he added, according to the Shropshire Star.

The scene now in Telford town centre. pic.twitter.com/FvtoX5ZLhd — Lisa O'Brien (@lisaobrien_Star) March 30, 2018

Earlier this month, the Sunday Mirror published the findings of an 18-month probe which included freedom of information requests, victim testimonies, charity workers, a local MP, and police, concluding that 1,000 girls could have been targeted over 40 years in Telford.

The victims identified 70 alleged attackers, and the paper linked five deaths to the abuse and found that girls as young as 11 years old had been targeted in the small town by men of Asian and Muslim backgrounds.

Police and the media have been accused of inaction and ignoring the scandal due to political correctness, and victim blaming.

#DFLA @TrueFla protest in Telford today against the child grooming scandal. We can only assume the left support child grooming as they’ve turned out to counter protest. They make every issue about race, yet accuse others of racism pic.twitter.com/Fd2uMsV3N5 pic.twitter.com/BzKMlr0hv1 — ProActive Patriots (@ActivePatriots) March 30, 2018

Democratic Football Lads Alliance member and Telford resident Joshua Sole, 28, told the Shropshire Star: “I just want justice. There were failings and an independent inquiry is crucial.”

Davey Robb, 53, also a member of the group, added: “Hopefully we can get the point over that everyone in Telford is unhappy with the treatment of those young girls.

“There’s been massive failings in the past. This march has nothing to do with racism.”

Shropshire and Telford Stand Up To Racism is also holding a protest in Telford town centre. pic.twitter.com/qm0ecGxvRk — Lisa O'Brien (@lisaobrien_Star) March 30, 2018

However Andy Brown, from United Against Fascism, said: “We believe their protest is a cynical attempt to use the appalling crime of child sexual exploitation to further the Democratic Football Lads Alliance’s own ends.

“All the victims of sexual exploitation deserve justice regardless of their social or ethnic background. We condemn and seek prosecution of all those responsible for these crimes irrespective of their ethnicity or creed.”