Masked Muslim protesters took to the streets of Tower Hamlets in East London on Saturday, vowing to “defend” their community after police had banned an anti-Islamist march in the borough.
The multicultural Whitechapel area of Tower Hamlets was flooded with Muslim demonstrators, many of whom were wearing black clothing, masks and balaclavas. They were joined by members of the far-left Stand Up to Racism group, four of whom were reportedly arrested.
The demonstrators were seen waving Palestinian and Bangladeshi flags as they celebrated the fact that the Metropolitan Police had prohibited the populist United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) party, whose leader Nick Marcel Tenconi described as the start of a “crusade” against Islamists and Communists in Britain.
London’s Evening Standard newspaper quoted one of the demonstrators as saying: “They came specifically targeting Islam. They said we are coming on a crusade, they said we need to take back our streets.
“We stand firm to let them know that if you come then we will stand firm and we will be ready to defend our elders, to defend our women and 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?”
The Muslim protesters were also filmed performing an Islamic prayer in the middle of the road, with adherents bowing to their knees to the chants of “Allahu Akbar”.
Hellbound and Down 