Met Police Slam UKIP’s ‘Reckless’ Christian March Plan
The Metropolitan Police have slammed the brakes on UKIP’s planned “Walk With Jesus” march in Whitechapel, east London. Citing a high risk of violent clashes, the Met branded the event “reckless” and banned it for the second time in months. Tower Hamlets, home to one of Britain’s largest Muslim communities, has become a flashpoint for tensions.
Safety Comes First as Met Blocks UKIP Rally Again
Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman stressed this is a public safety issue, not politics. He warned: “We reasonably believe there would be a hostile local reaction to their presence, which many may see as provocative, leading to violence and disorder. We simply can’t allow that to happen.”
The march was promoted as a Christian worship event celebrating “the month dedicated to the holy name of Jesus.” But the Met warned anyone defying the ban faces arrest.
Met Urges UKIP to Choose Safer Route to Avoid Violence
Harman called on UKIP to cooperate with police and pick an alternative route or location. “We’ve had limited cooperation from organisers so far,” he added. Should UKIP agree, their march could proceed, as it did with a west London rally earlier.
October’s UKIP Rally Ban Triggered Massive Masked Counter-Protest
This latest ban echoes the Met’s October shutdown of UKIP’s “Mass Deportations Tour” in Tower Hamlets over fears of “serious disorder.” That event sparked hundreds of masked local Bangladeshi men to march, chanting “Allahu Akbar” in a dramatic show of defiance.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage called the scenes “one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever seen,” comparing it to “a foreign invading army marching through our streets.” He slammed police for “caving in to Islamists” and stifling his party’s democratic rights.
But the Met insists its bans are based on safety, not politics, as it aims to prevent volatile clashes in east London.
