LEADERS of the English Defence league have issued a pledge today that they won’t be marching into London’s East End on Sunday. Scotland Yard advised them a Muslim meeting they were objecting to was not going ahead at Stepney’s Troxy venue after all

By Mike Brooke

LEADERS of the English Defence league have issued a pledge today that they won't be marching into London's East End on Sunday.

Plans were dropped after talks with Scotland Yard advising them that a Muslim meeting they were objecting to was not going ahead at Stepney's Troxy venue after all.

"It would be a suicide mission if we walked into East London," their leader Tommy Robinson told the East London Advertiser.

"The Met Police told us there would be a hostile scene with thousands of protesters coming from all over if we turned up.

"We've won our victory just getting the Islamic meeting with its extremist speakers cancelled."

The EDL claimed victory after accusing Tower Hamlets Council of "doing nothing" until they came on the scene.

"It was only the threat of us marching into the East End that got the meeting withdrawn," Robinson added. "Why should it take us coming down and fear of riots before anything is done?"

But even cancelling Sunday's EDA march won't stop a counter demo by anti-fascist campaigners who plan to march at 2.30pm from Stepney Green Park to Whitechapel's Altab Ali Park for a rally to show 'East End solidarity' against the Far Right.