London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Masked Muslim protesters march in east London, vowing to defend their community amid planned UKIP protest, sparking concerns over rising tensions.
As part of a counter-demonstration, dozens of young men marched down Whitehall wearing balaclavas and dark clothing. Photographs showed demonstrators stopping to pray in the roadway, while Palestinian and Bangladeshi flags were waved.
One video showed a man using a megaphone to tell the audience to “stand firm” and be ready to “defend our community” against demonstrators.
“They came specifically targeting Islam. They said we are coming on a crusade, they said we need to take back our streets,”
the masked man declared.
“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?
Today is a day we unite,”
he said to the crowd gathered.
Fearing chaos in Tower Hamlets, one of the UK‘s major Muslim populations, the Metropolitan Police imposed restrictions on the UKIP rally, which was initially scheduled for Whitehall under slogans like “take our country back” and “reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists.”
Instead, on Saturday afternoon, UKIP supporters marched toward Marble Arch after gathering outside the London Oratory in central London.
Protesters were heard yelling “save our nation, remigration” and “tell the nation, deportations” as they marched up Park Lane while holding a purple banner that said, “Islamist invaders not welcome in Britain.”
Using a megaphone, one demonstrator yelled, “This is a Christian land and it’s going to stay like that.”
According to Met Police, four counter-protesters were taken into custody during the march.
What prompted the Muslim community to organise this response?
The Muslim community organized the response to the planned UKIP kick largely due to enterprises about rising Islamophobia and hate speech targeting their community. The planned UKIP rally, which called for mass displacements and was seen as promoting an anti-Muslim docket, was perceived as a direct trouble and provocation in an area with a significant Muslim population.
This response is driven by a desire to stand establishment against demarcation and to intimately defend the community from what’s seen as hostile political rhetoric and implicit violence. The community’s rallying is also linked to a wider environment of long- standing struggles against social rejection, vilification.
Leaders and activists draw on literal and contemporary principles of community defense against Islamophobia and racism, emphasizing concinnity, adaptability, and communal engagement to offset divisive dockets and cover community rights and well- being.
