The Metropolitan Police has imposed restrictions on an anti-Islam march planned for central London this weekend, citing fears of “serious disorder”. The Unite the People “No to Sharia Law” demonstration, organised by the UK Independence Party (UKIP), will no longer be able to gather in Edgware Road on Saturday.
Protest moved from Edgware Road
Business owners and residents in Edgware Road had raised concerns about the right-wing march. On Thursday, the Met Police said conditions under the Public Order Act were being placed on the event, including moving its location, “to prevent serious disorder and serious disruption to communities”.
Participants must assemble in a specific area on Hyde Park Corner and cannot gather before 11:30am. They must follow a specific route laid out by officers, and the protest must finish by 4.30pm.
A Met Police spokesman said: “Anyone who knowingly breaches the conditions will be committing a criminal offence. Officers will be policing the events to ensure they pass safely and peacefully.”
Local concerns and counter-protests
Queens Park and Maida Vale MP Georgia Gould said: “Businesses and local residents in Church street and around Edgware Road have been subject to increasing far right targeting online over recent days and they deserve to go about their lives safely and free from intimidation in their community. I will continue to stand up for our strong, diverse community that embodies British values of mutual respect and neighbourliness.”
Edgware Road has a large Muslim population. Caroline Sargent, deputy leader of Westminster City Council, said: “A number of concerned residents have contacted us about the proposed march on Edgware Road this Saturday.
“Westminster bears the brunt of protests of all kinds, and I am acutely aware of the disruption and concern that they can have on residents, businesses and local communities. I condemn any march or demonstration that promotes hatred, division or intimidation.”
Rise in anti-Muslim hate reports
The news follows reports that anti-Muslim hate reports have surged in London, with more recorded in the first half of this year than in the whole of 2023. Monitoring organisation Tell Mama recorded 1,031 reports of anti-Muslim hate and prejudice in the capital between January and the end of June, compared with 1,028 across all of 2023.
It described the figures as “alarming”, saying they point to a sustained escalation in hostility towards Muslims in the capital. Reports have risen year on year, climbing from 313 in 2021 to 818 in 2022 and reaching a record 1,909 last year — more than six times the number recorded four years earlier.
Tell Mama said that behind every report was “a Londoner who was made to feel unsafe simply because of their faith”.
A static Stand Up to Racism counter protest has been organised in the face of the UKIP protest. The Met has said participants in the ‘Don’t let Fascists come to Edgware Road’ protest must assemble in a specific area on Richmond Terrace, and the protest must end by 4.30pm.
