UKIP supporters have been banned from holding a protest march in Whitechapel after police warned it could lead to serious violence, including clashes with residents.

Police imposed conditions under the Public Order Act preventing the march from going ahead on January 31, instructing UKIP to find a less “provocative” location in the capital.

Any of their supporters attempting to enter Tower Hamlets to participate could face arrest under the new conditions. This is the second time in three months that a UKIP march has been blocked. In October, supporters were due to gather in Tower Hamlets, framing the event as a “crusade” to ‘reclaim Whitechapel’ — a message they have now attempted to rebrand as a Christian-focused protest. The Met stressed UKIP was not banned. They noted similar geographic restrictions were imposed on other groups holding protests on the same day, including the Central London Anti-Fascists and the Palestine Coalition, which suggested alternative routes to avoid potential conflicts with Jewish Londoners attending nearby synagogues. Tower Hamlets has a long history of resisting far-right activity, from the 1936 Battle of Cable Street against fascist Blackshirts to more recent opposition to the National Front and the English Defence League, particularly among the borough’s large Bangladeshi population. While some far-right voices have framed the ban as an infringement on free speech and “two-tier” policing, public order laws allow police to impose conditions where serious disorder is anticipated.

Protests have previously been stopped, or groups banned, when there was a risk of serious public disorder. A controversial fringe Muslim group was banned in 2010 after it gained prominence for threatening to protest in Wootton Bassett, a decision that was applauded by supposed ‘free speech’ supporters in the conservative media.

Again, muslims dictating what should happen in this country!  Why do we have to consider what they want?  muslims do not belong in this country and should be re-patriated to the country of their origins.