EDL demo in Tower Hamlets

It was nearly 75 years ago when Oswald Mosley's British Union of Facists march against the immigrant communities in Whitechapel were countered by anti-fascist demonstrators in the famous "Battle of Cable Street".

The defeat of the Blackshirts showed the spirit of the community in the East End and that will be on show again on Saturday with the impending demonstration by the English Defence League (EDL) in Tower Hamlets.

The far-right group have billed this as the biggest demonstration they have ever held, but they will be restricted to a static demonstration after police have brought in a 30-day marching ban in Tower Hamlets as well as the surrounding boroughs of Newham, Waltham Forest, Islington, Hackney and the City of London. This is the first time in 30 years that the authorities have requested powers to stop marches since the Brixton riots 30 years ago.

But march or no-march, the far-right group has made it clear they still intend on making their presence felt in a part of London where cultural diversity has thrived. The EDL's mission to disturb the peace and inflame tensions in Tower Hamlets is of grave concern considering they have deliberately targeted an area where there is a large Muslim community.

Their rhetoric from the very beginning is about fighting against extreme elements of Islam but time and again, members of the EDL have been exposed as thugs who have a hatred for all aspects of multiculturalism.

You only have to go back a few weeks ago when EDL 'vigilantes' became opportunists of the recent riots, attacking Black youths on a bus in London. Members of the EDL also attacked children in a Sikh summer camp in Chigwell, some verbally and others physically.

But there are a number of campaign groups who have worked tirelessly, leading the fight against the far-right group. Hope not Hate organised meetings with the local community as well as getting over 25,000 signatures on a petition to ban the march.

Initially, there were no plans by the Home Secretary Theresa May and the Police to issue a ban on the impending march according to Hope Not Hate, but they and other groups made sure the matter was on the agenda and "forced them to change their minds through our petition, our briefings and a meeting with senior officers. It shows what can happen when people come together to make a stand. It shows the power of the HOPE not hate campaign.”

On Saturday, campaigners who champion the cause of uniting cultures and fighting against discrimination and hatred will be gathered in the vicinity of Tower Hamlets, assembling at the corner of Vallance Road and Whitechapel Road at 11am, and they will be standing united against those who are intent on causing divisions and inflaming tensions.