London’s Metropolitan Police have blocked a Christian march organised by the UK Independence Party (Ukip) that was planned to pass through a Muslim-majority neighbourhood in east London, citing fears of a hostile local reaction and possible violence.
The march, titled “Walk With Jesus,” was scheduled for January 31 in Whitechapel, an area of the Tower Hamlets borough that has one of the largest Muslim populations in Britain. Police said allowing the event to go ahead there would be reckless.
Ukip promoted the event online as a Christian march, inviting participants to worship Jesus Christ during January, which organisers described as “the month dedicated to the holy name of Jesus.”
While officers confirmed the march could still take place elsewhere in London, Whitechapel was declared off-limits.
The decision follows a similar ban imposed in October, when police blocked a Ukip demonstration known as “The Mass Deportations Tour” in the same borough. That move was justified on public-order grounds but was followed by a large counter-protest.
During those October scenes, hundreds of men from the local Bangladeshi community, many wearing masks, balaclavas and dark clothing, gathered in the streets of Whitechapel. Video footage showed groups chanting “Allahu Akbar” as they marched. Ukip later redirected the rally to west London, ending at Marble Arch.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said the latest ban was based solely on safety concerns and not on political considerations.
“It would be reckless to allow an event to go ahead when we understand there’s a risk of serious violence to members of the community and to our officers,” Harman said. “We are not doing so on political grounds. We’re not even doing so on the grounds of whether people will be offended or not by their presence.”
Police said they reasonably believed Ukip’s presence in Whitechapel would be perceived as provocative and warned that anyone defying the ban would face arrest.
Ukip has accused the authorities of caving in to intimidation and violating the democratic right to peaceful assembly, arguing that police are increasingly unwilling to uphold free expression when it risks confrontation with organised local opposition.
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage previously described the October scenes in Whitechapel as among the most frightening he had witnessed, comparing the masked crowds to a “foreign invading army.”
The Metropolitan Police insist that if a more suitable route is agreed, the Christian march can still go ahead elsewhere in the British capital.
