History is repeating itself': fight against far-right in London's East End goes on

"The East End of London is the far right's prime target the essence of everything they don't like. They feel if they can march through our borough with impunity, they can go anywhere. For them, it's like Wembley (stadium), it's the ultimate goal, said Glyn Robbins, co-founder of United East End, an anti-far right coalition of community organisations. In the East End, the historically working-class neighbourhoods in the shadow of the City of London, there's a feeling that history is repeating itself."

"This week, rather than attempting to escort protesters, as they had in Mosley's day, London's police stopped the hard right UK Independence Party (Ukip) from staging a crusade on Whitechapel in the borough of Tower Hamlets, where 40% of the population is Muslim and 14% were born in the EU. The Metropolitan police said the ban was to prevent serious disorder."

The East End of London is a central target for far-right groups because it embodies diversity and multiculturalism. Local memory recalls the Battle of Cable Street, when many local people, including British Jews, drove Oswald Mosley's Blackshirt militia from Whitechapel 89 years earlier. Subsequent decades saw attempts by the National Front, the BNP and the English Defence League to gain ground. In 2025 communities mobilised against the hard right, with police banning a UK Independence Party march on Whitechapel to prevent serious disorder. Tower Hamlets has a 40% Muslim population and 14% born in the EU. Council motions condemned external far-right agitators while affirming flags as emblems of pride. Far-right influencer Tommy Robinson amplified councillors' images to millions of followers, heightening tensions.

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