London: Tower Hamlets faith communities stop UKIP again
UKIP’s planned “Walk with Jesus parade” in Whitechapel misrepresents Christianity to target Muslims and migrants in East London

January 30, 2026 

Tower Hamlets faith communities stop UKIP agai

More than 150 members of faith communities and organisations have today, 30 January, issued a press statement denouncing a planned march by the far-right anti-Muslim UK Independence Party. The following is the full text of the statement:

Once again, the borough of Tower Hamlets was being threatened by racist outsiders. The discredited rump of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) party have been planning to march through Whitechapel on 31st January. They tried to do the same on 25th October 2025, but were stopped by thousands of local people who attended the Tower Hamlets Unity Demo, supported by 60 organisations, as well as the elected Mayor, Lutfur Rahman.

This time, UKIP announced to come to one of the most culturally-diverse communities in the country and “Walk with Jesus” parade. On this occasion, UKIP tried to use Christianity as a false flag for sowing division. In response, many churches have joined the United East End coalition, representing all faiths and none, to say UKIP are not welcome here. Thankfully, the Met Police have now blocked the UKIP march from taking place in Tower Hamlets as it could lead to “serious disorder”.

We warmly welcome this and it is a recognition of our community’s determination to stand together and insist that Tower Hamlets is No Place for Hate. From the Battle of Cable Street 90 years ago, to the defeat of the racist groups such as the National Front, British National Party and English Defence League, we will always oppose racism and prejudice.

We reiterate, UKIP has absolutely nothing to do with Christianity and is an insult to people, including many residents of east London, who genuinely follow the Christian faith. What UKIP really wants to do is sow hatred and fear by targeting the Muslim community and migrants.

The Tower Hamlets Unity Demo and the Victory Parade last October was publicly supported by Christian leaders from the borough, alongside other members of the Inter-Faith Forum. One of the co-founders of United East End, formed in 2010 to oppose the racist-EDL, was the Reverend Alan Green.



Recent research found that 91 per cent of Tower Hamlets residents think people from different backgrounds get along well together. We are not an “island of strangers” as the Prime Minister has said, and we don’t need Nick Tenconi of UKIP or Nigel Farage of Reform UK telling us how we should live, pray, or who our neighbours should be.

This year is the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street. Ever since, the people of the East End have stood shoulder-to-shoulder against those who seek to divide us.

United East End
www.unitedeastend.org.uk
Signotaries
1 Dr Glyn Robbins United East End
2 Lutfur Rahman Mayor of Tower Hamlets
3 Mthr Bernadette Hegarty St Paul’s Church Bow Common
4 Alan Murray All Faiths and None
5 David Rosenberg Jewish Socialists’ Group
6 Dr Abdullah Faliq European Network on Religion & Belief
7 Father Frank Gelli Anglican Church
8 Mark Francis Traf Rd Baptist Church
9 Christine Frost Neighbours in Poplar
10 Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE Shomrim in Stamford Hill
11 Rachael Bee Refugee Welcome Homes
12 Rajiv Sinha Hindus for Human Rights UK
13 Oliver Mcternan Forward Thinking
14 Anna Livingstone Barts Health UNITE
15 Alison Morgan Quaker
16 Ajahn Santamano Theravada Buddhist monk
17 Beverley Milton-Edwards St Paul’s Bow Common Church
18 Catherine Fish Church of England
19 Rev James Olanipekun CIHM Christ Apostolic Church
20 Rev Thomas Fortune Pyke The Parish of the Isle of Dogs
21 Rev. Alan Green United East End
22 Rev. Dr Al Barrett Church of England – Birmingham
23 Robert Scott Asha Tower Hamlets
24 Holly Petersen Christians for a Welcoming Britain
25 Enrique Tessieri Migrant Tales (Finland)
26 Cllr. Talha Abu Chowdhury Tower Hamlets Council
27 Dave Mitchell Church of England
28 Catriona Robertson Peace and Interfaith campaigner
29 Cara Milton-Edwards St Paul’s Bow Common Church
30 Kane Newman Communist Party of Britain
31 Gabrielle McGarvey Church of England
32 Faisal Ahmed Tower Hamlets Solidarity
33 Georgina Stride Shoreditch Tab Church
34 Karen Weech Majority
35 Gill Millman Human
36 Mohammed Kozbar Finsbury Park Mosque
37 Musaddiq Ahmad Muslim Community Association
38 Maria Balinska Centre for Democratic Resilience, Oxford University.
39 Mark Ereira-Guyer Civil Society Together CIC
40 Mark Francis Traf Rd Baptist Church
41 Michael Squires Unite
42 N. Ahmed East London Mosque
43 Natalie Hendry East End Church
44 Nathan Jones Oasis Church Waterloo
45 Nicola Grove CAMPAIN
46 Sabby Dhalu Stand Up To Racism
47 Safia Jama MBE Women’s Inclusive Team
48 Weyman Bennett Stand Up To Racism
49 Cllr Maium Talukdar Island Against Division
50 Mark Bishop House of Prayer for East London
51 Sahra Mire Ashaadibi Central
52 Shabbir Lakha Stop the War Coalition
53 Shawn Moye The Salvation Army
54 Sufia Alam TH Interfaith Forum
55 Abbas Ali Masta Beatz
56 Abul Khayar Ali Bricklane Community Forum
57 Abul Mahmud
58 Adrian Dunne Baptist Church
59 Aishah Uddin
60 Andy Strouthous Stand Up To Racism
61 Ann Marie Lloyd-Jones St Anne’s RC Church, Liverpool
62 Anne Blair-Vincent
63 Arif Ahmed Tower Hamlets Council of Mosques
64 Asrar Mohammed
65 Caroline McLeish Dawson
66 Carrie Bishop
67 Catherine Midgley Catholic
68 Christine Chettle CCA
69 Clare Cooper Christian
70 David Bagott TSSF
71 David Blakeway
72 Deborah Mitchell Quaker
73 Diana Neslen
74 Dilwar Hussain Shahporan Madrasah
75 Dr Anna Livingstone Unite Barts Health
76 Elizabeth Chart
77 Erin Hughes
78 Esther Mufti Justice and Peace
79 Farooq Ahmed
80 Fergus Burnett-Skelding Christians Against Christian Nationalism
81 Gawain Little
82 Gillian Davis
83 Graham McNeill St Paul’s Bow Common church
84 Hana Khalaf-Horack
85 Hasan Mueenuddin Da’watul Islam UK & Eire
86 Hayley Thomas
87 Hendrika Santer Bream
88 Hilal Sala
89 Hsiao-Hung Pai Journalist & author
90 Isa Haque
91 Jaabir al hassan
92 Jackie Applebee BMA personal capacity
93 Jahangir Sufi
94 James Finegan
95 James Grote Baptist Minister
96 James King Tower Hamlets Councillor- Limehouse
97 Jamie Lashmar Church member
98 Jane west
99 Jayne Holland
100 John Davey Member of PSCmm
101 Jonathan Lilly Resident
102 Joseph Taylor
103 Judith Russenberger Christian
104 Julian Bond
105 Julian Wood Forward Thinking
106 Kate Taylor
107 Kathryn Bond
108 Leila Jones
109 Linda Kossi Christ Church
110 Magda Pittaro Christian
111 Margaret Roberts Church of England
112 Martin Jarvis
113 Mary Sample
114 Maryam Mohsin
115 Michele Presacane
116 Mohammad Salih
117 Mohammed Malik Muslim Community Association
118 Moira Potier de la Morandiere RC Church
119 Murat Bingol Askon London (Turkish community)
120 Nabil Ferdous
121 Nadi Altay Stand Up To Racism
122 Patrick Wiley Indivisible London
123 Peter Ashan Newham SUTR
124 Peter Skerratt
125 Prof Ahmet Koroglu Istanbul University
126 Raouf Ghali Shoreditch Tab Church
127 Rebecca del Tufo Rebecca del Tufo
128 Ruth Jarman
129 Ruth Mills Sheffield Manor Parish
130 Ruth Urbanowicz Church of England
131 Ruth Urbanowicz
132 Safwan Choudhury
133 Saiful Islam Chowdhury Carehouse Youth Club
134 Sami Walbury
135 Sarah R MacDonald Exploring Spirit
136 Serena Mondesir NIP
137 Shahina bibi
138 Shamima rahman
139 Shaqui Sid
140 Sheba Ahmed
141 Sheila Akao-Okeng Bethnal Green Meeting House
142 Sheila Cunnington Quaker
143 Sheila McGregor Tower Hamlets Stand Up to Racism
144 Sigrid Werner
145 Simon Herbert St Paul’s Bow Common
146 Susan Ward Christian Climate Action
147 Susan Ward Roman Catholic parishioner
148 Susanne Levin
149 Sybil cock Tower Hamlets PSC
150 Tammy Wong
151 Tamsin Hunkin Hope Sings Eternal
152 Tariq Fredericks
153 Terry Phillips St Anne’s Church, Liverpool
154 Thalia Carr TSSF
155 Thomas Sharpe Better Story
156 Tim Cole Asha
157 Tony Conway Communist Party of Britain
158 Viola Langley
159 Wren Sidhe Quaker
160 Yvonne Francklow
161 Yvonne Osman
162 Zaaki Ibn-Maswood Ahmed Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)

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