Plans for a demonstration in one of London's largest Muslim communities by far-right group the English Defence League have been blocked by the Home Secretary.
The march was originally intended to take in Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Hackney and Islington but after months of campaigns to stop it, the Metropolitan Police applied to Home Secretary Theresa May for the final say.
Needless to say, the EDL have interpreted the decision as 'restricting our democratic right to peaceful protest' which is certainly an optimistic description of a demonstration seemingly designed to provoke unrest. The protest claimed to be a stand against extremism, particularly homophobia - in recent months an anti-gay poster campaign in Tower Hamlets made the news when residents fought back.
Mayor Lutfur Rahman welcomed the ban:
'I thank the Home Secretary for making this decision, which means we can now move forward as a community free from the threat of the EDL marching through our borough with their messages of hate. This has always been a borough where people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds live in harmony, and we will not be divided by the EDL or any other groups.'
The 30-day ban will also cover anti-EDL marches and come into force on 2 September.
