One of the 'hate' posters that have appeared in the East End

Hate posters attack Gays in East End

Mike Brooke Tuesday, February 15, 2011
5:45 PM

HATE posters have been plastered on walls declaring a ‘Gay Free zone’ in London’s East End—warning that ‘Allah is severe in punishment.’

They appeared across Whitechapel and Spitalfields at the weekend—some even believed to be targeted at school children.

Most have now been have torn down by a community writer and activist who has had to keep his identity secret because of previous death threats.

“I removed at least 20 appeared on Sunday morning around Whitechapel,” he told the East London Advertiser.

“One was directly outside Swanlea Secondary School. It looks as if former ‘Islam4uk’ extremists were trying to reach young people on their way into school.”

The small sticker-posters which were stuck to walls and lamp-posts declare: “Arise and Warn—Gay Free zone. Verily Allah is severe in punishment.”

Some appeared at the Whitechapel Ideas Store and along Whitechapel Road and nearby turnings—even in a children’s play area.

More appeared in Spitalfields along Hanbury Street, close to Brick Lane.

“They are an incitement to violence, an incitement to kill gay people,” he added. “To put them opposite a school is shocking. There were also kids in a playground in the park where I found one.

“It’s a campaign of hate, a reminder that there is a minority of dangerous extremists on the streets targeting the young with a message of hate.”

He has removed at least 20 ‘hate’ posters plastered on walls and has since contacted Swanley school warning that extremists are targeting their pupils.

The community leader has had to keep his head down in the ‘clean up’ campaign.

“I have been threatened with death from a group of extremists in the past,” he revealed. “I have reported it to police, but the danger hasn’t gone away.”

It is the second hate campaign to hit the streets of the East End in just eight weeks, after anti-Christmas posters appeared in Poplar in December, which caused anger in the community.

The posters referred to Christmas as evil and carried an extremist Islamist message.

They were noticed by Sister Christine Frost, founder of Neighbours in Poplar charity, who contacted police and Poplar & Limehouse MP Jim Fitzpatrick. Tower Hamlets council sent out contractors to remove them.