Overview
- Under Section 14(3) of the Public Order Act, UKIP is prohibited from holding its 25 October event anywhere in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
- Police assessed a realistic prospect of serious disorder and highlighted significant local concern in a borough with the UK's highest proportion of Muslim residents.
- Organisers had promoted the event with inflammatory language, calling it a 'crusade' and urging supporters to 'reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists'.
- A sizeable counter-protest was expected from Stand Up To Racism and local groups, with officers also citing disruption risks on a key east London route.
- The Met warned that breaches will lead to arrests and said a substantial policing operation will be in place, while inviting organisers to propose an alternative location.