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Crowds of masked Muslim men protesting against planned far-right demo in East London were filmed condemning 'Zionists'
Tower Hamlets counter-protest
Downing Street has again voiced concern over the Metropolitan Police’s response to antisemitic chants in London, after groups of masked men were filmed in Tower Hamlets shouting: “Zionist scum, off our streets.”
Footage circulating online showed crowds in the East London borough chanting the same slogan while waving Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Palestinian flags outside the local town hall.
The incident occurred during a counter-protest on Saturday, organized in response to a fringe far-right group’s planned march through London’s East End. Groups of Muslim men, dressed in black and wearing balaclavas, were also filmed chanting: “We will honour all our martyrs! From the river to the sea! Allahu akbar!”
Asked about the chants, a spokesperson for Keir Starmer said: “The Prime Minister has been very clear on the need to tackle antisemitism. As he has said before, the police already have extensive public order powers to address the incidents you mentioned.”
Pressed on why antisemitic chants persist despite calls for action, the spokesperson emphasized the need to respect police operational independence but reiterated that police have the authority to “manage protests and, where there is evidence of antisemitism, tackle it as a matter of urgency.”
He added, “We would expect the police to respond robustly.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also responded to the sight of the masked men on the streets saying it was “one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever seen in my whole life”.
It was “like a foreign invading army marching through our streets”, he added.
Tensions flared after the far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP) was banned from staging a demonstration in Tower Hamlets, a borough with the UK’s highest percentage of Muslim residents, following promotion of the event with slogans such as “take our country back” and “reclaim Whitechapel from the Islamists.”
In response, Stand Up To Racism, a group with close ties to the Socialist Workers Party, organized an “anti-racism” rally in the borough. Jeremy Corbyn and Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman addressed several hundred supporters.
Corbyn later posted on X: “Inspiring to join people of all faiths and none in Whitechapel today to keep the far right out of the East End. We had a simple message to anyone trying to divide our community: jog on and get lost.”
Rahman also posted on X, saying the turnout showed “we are united against racism and hate.”
However, neither leader referenced the scenes of around 150 masked men repeatedly threatening to drive “Zionist scum” from the borough.
One video showed a man holding a Stand Up To Racism banner trying to persuade the men to moderate their chants, saying, “we are all on the same side, bro.”
He was rebuffed by a man in a balaclava who replied, “No, we are not.”
In another video, a local man known as “Big Fish,” who promoted £5 balaclavas to his “Muslim brothers” before appearing on stage at the counter-protest, was seen shaking hands and hugging Mayor Rahman.
Last Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police imposed restrictions on the UKIP demonstration, banning supporters from entering Tower Hamlets to prevent “serious disorder,” and redirecting them to Marble Arch.
Counter-protesters were instructed to continue their rally in Whitechapel and not enter central London, where the UKIP march was relocated.
In an interview with Jewish News last week, Starmer had voiced concerns about the policing of demos where antisemitic chants featured.EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Starmer criticises police failure to use powers ‘already there’ to tackle hate marchers
“I think we need to look at how we’re exercising the powers that are already there,” he said,
“Where something is clearly antisemitic, we need to do more about it.
“Obviously, we will discuss with police chiefs how they deal with these incidents on the ground. But I think a bit of clarity about what is antisemitic is much needed.”
The PM added he and the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood would “immediately speak to police chiefs about exercising the powers we have already got in relation to that.”
