A scheduled protest organized by the UK Independence Party (UKIP) has been prohibited by the Metropolitan Police from occurring in a region with a significant Muslim population.

The police stated that this action was taken because the gathering, set to occur in east London on Saturday, posed a “realistic prospect of serious disorder.”

Originally promoted as a march originating from Whitechapel station and later modified to an assembly in the same vicinity, the event was intended to be part of a series aimed at “reclaiming Whitechapel from Islamist influences,” according to the Met.

UKIP claimed that the police had “yielded to Islamist pressure and infringed upon our democratic right to assemble peacefully in Whitechapel this Saturday.”

Under conditions established by the Public Order Act, UKIP is prohibited from holding their protest in Whitechapel or any location within the borough of Tower Hamlets.

Cdr Nick John remarked: “Tower Hamlets has the highest percentage of Muslim residents in the UK, and the potential for this protest to take place in the borough’s center has raised considerable local concern.”

He added that it is likely there would be serious disorder if the protest were to proceed in the suggested location.

Cdr John indicated that UKIP was welcome to organize its protest elsewhere, but anyone attempting to gather in Tower Hamlets would risk arrest.

The party announced that it was in the process of relocating the march to a different part of London.