I am aware that there is growing concern amongst staff about community safety following articles in the national and local press that the English Defence League is planning to hold a potentially divisive demonstration in Tower Hamlets on 20th June.
That date was chosen deliberately to coincide with an all day Islamic conference that is taking place at the Troxy. A number of invited speakers have allegedly expressed extreme views.
Today the Leader of the Council, Cllr Helal Abbas, and Deputy Leader Cllr Josh Peck, have released a statement in response to both the conference and the demonstration.
Cllr Abbas said: “I want to ask all sections of our diverse and vibrant community to hold their nerve but be vigilant in the face of this blatant attempt at division along crude racial and religious lines. There is no place for extremism of any description in Tower Hamlets.
“We are a strong community with so much to be proud of. As Leader of the Council I will do everything in my power to ensure our community stays safe and secure using all the resources and influence at my disposal.
“Whilst the Troxy is a commercial company they must comply with the law and have regard to the impact such an event will have on social cohesion in Tower Hamlets. The Council has encouraged the Troxy to sign up to the 'No Place for Hate' campaign and indeed they were happy to do so. To date over 700 people and 70 organisations have signed our 'No Place for Hate' pledge.”
Councillor Josh Peck, Deputy Leader of the Council, commented, “This conference is not supported in any way by the council and we call upon the Troxy to call off this conference in the interests of public safety and social cohesion. The views attributed to some of the speakers is completely at odds with our continuing work in building One Tower Hamlets. If necessary we will review our working relationship with the Troxy.”
Councillor Helal Abbas continues, “I will be asking the Police to explore all avenues open to them to ensure both the conference and the EDL demonstration do not take place in Tower Hamlets. Neither is representative of Tower Hamlets and will cause great distress to the people of the borough. If you feel threatened or unsafe please contact the Police directly or you can contact my office using the details below.”
The Council will continue to work with the Police, the Interfaith Forum and other local partners. We have all worked hard through the Tower Hamlets partnership to ensure a harmonious and cohesive community behind the banner of One Tower Hamlets. This has had some success and is borne out from the findings of our recent residents' survey. We will not accept attempts to divide our communities.