SAT . Columns of masked Muslim men chant ‘Allahu Akbar’ in London in ‘protest’ against Ukip demonstration
Columns of masked Muslim men were seen chanting “Allahu Akbar” in London in a march against a Ukip demonstration in the capital.
The party, now led by Nick Tenconi, had been due to stage a protest in Whitechapel – which was called off over a “realistic prospect of serious disorder” due to its large Muslim population.
His protest was moved nine miles from the borough of Tower Hamlets following a ban imposed by Scotland Yard.
A mass counter-march went ahead there, which is led by convicted fraudster mayor Lutfur Rahman.
The decision to ban Ukip from marching in Whitechapel, where at least 42.1 per cent of residents identify as Muslim, was welcomed in the local area.
On the street, a protester shouted through a megaphone: “They [Ukip] came specifically targeting Islam. They said: ‘We are coming on a crusade,’ they said: ‘We need to take back our streets.’
Hundreds, if not thousands, of masked protesters marched through Whitechapel|
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“We stand firm to let them know if you come, we will stand firm and will be ready to defend our elders, to defend our women, to defend our community.
“We have never once said we were going on crusades or going into your areas to cause you problems.
“You are coming into our homes and you want to cause us problems. What is wrong with us standing up?”
Jeremy Corbyn joined protesters|
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Rahman said: “We will still hold our peaceful march in Whitechapel on Saturday to celebrate our diversity and unity. From the Battle of Cable Street to today, the far-right has never succeeded in dividing our community, and they never will.”
Huge crowds of masked men could be seen marching through the area chanting “Allahu Akbar”, or “God is great”, in Arabic.
In one clip, a protester holding a “Stand Up To Racism” sponsored placard could be heard saying: “There’s no need for that – we’re on the same side bruv.”
A voice from the marching crowd then shouted back: “No we’re not!”
Palestinian and Bangladeshi flags were seen as demonstrators prayed in the street on Saturday|
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Ukip’s protesters instead gathered in Kensington, west London.
Four counter-demonstrators in the capital’s west were then arrested, the Metropolitan Police has said.
Around 75 Ukip supporters assembled in front of the London Oratory, with images from the scene showing protesters holding a banner which said: “Islamist invaders not welcome in Britain.”
The Metropolitan Police has since confirmed that four counter-protesters who appeared along the route in breach of conditions had been arrested after refusing to leave.
PICTURED: Columns of masked Muslim men chant ‘Allahu Akbar’ in London|
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Around 75 Ukip supporters assembled in front of the London Oratory|
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A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Four counter protesters who appeared along the route in breach of the conditions in place and refused to leave have been arrested.”
However, the force said that no arrests had been made at the main location of the counter-demonstration in Whitechapel.
Protesters taking part in the Stand Up To Racism counter-protest were restricted from gathering in an area of central London, including where the Ukip protest was due to take place.
Ukip’s demonstration is part of a series of events taking place across the UK, which were promoted as a “mass deportations tour”, with organisers calling on attendees to “reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists”
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Ahead of today’s protest, hard-right Ukip leader Nick Tenconi said: ‘We will confront the communists at Hyde Park Corner’|
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Ahead of today’s protest, hard-right Ukip leader Nick Tenconi said: “We will confront the communists at Hyde Park Corner.
“We will march to Marble Arch and I will give my historic address with the communists and Islamists flaying in the background outraged that we have once and for all finally stood up to them.
“They will be met with Christian courage and it will be glorious. Patriots, this is just the beginning. Saturday, October 25. The Crusade begins.”
Commander Nick John, who is in charge of public order policing in London this weekend, said: “Our role in relation to the policing of protest is to ensure that they take place peacefully, that offences are dealt with, that they do not cause excessive disruption to the ordinary lives of local residents, visitors and businesses and to ensure that where there is a prospect of disorder we take action to prevent it.
PICTURED: Ukip party leader Nick Tenconi addresses a rally at Marble Arch|
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“The risk of such disorder can be elevated if groups with clearly opposing views are allowed to gather in close proximity to each other, particularly if they do so in the heart of a residential area at a time when tensions and fears in relation to hate crime and similar offences are heightened.
“We intervened earlier this week to use our powers under the Public Order Act to prevent a protest taking place in Whitechapel due to the prospect of serious disorder.
“This was not a ‘ban’ as it has been described in some coverage and commentary, but a requirement for the protest to move if it was to go ahead.
“We have used the same power on many occasions over the past two years when policing demonstrations by various groups.”
Pro-Palestine activists also marched through London|
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Scotland Yard’s conditions, as per the Public Order Act, also ban members of the Ukip march from protesting before 1pm or after 4.30pm.
Earlier, counter-protesters compared the planned Ukip demonstration to the 1936 Battle of Cable Street.
The Battle of Cable Street, which is also located in Whitechapel, witnessed members of the British Union of Fascists descending on the area, which was then known for having a large Jewish population.
