A group of masked Muslim youths took to the streets of east London today vowing to be 'ready to defend their community' after police banned a planned UKIP protest to 'reclaim' the area.

Many young men dressed in black, with hoods up and their faces covered, could be seen as Bangladesh and Palestine flags were waved at the demonstration on streets where UKIP had originally intended to march.

One protester at the Whitechapel demo took to a microphone promising to 'stand firm' in defending their community from far-right protesters. 

'They came specifically targeting Islam,' he said. 'They said, "we are coming on a crusade", they said "we need to take back our streets".  

'We stand firm to let them know if you come, we will stand firm and will be ready to defend our elders, to defend our women, to defend our community.

'We have never once said we were going on crusades or going into your areas to cause you problems.

'You are coming into our homes and you want to cause us problems. What is wrong with us standing up?

'Today is a day we unite,' he said to a crowd chanting a series of messages in Arabic. 

On Tuesday, the Met had imposed restrictions on the UKIP demonstration, banning supporters from entering the borough of Tower Hamlets in a bid to prevent 'serious disorder' and instead directing them to Marble Arch. 

Left-wing counter-protesters were told to continue their protest as planned in Whitechapel and not enter areas of central London where the UKIP march would be taking place instead. 

But at the Marble Arch meeting four left-wing protesters, believed to be supporters of campaign group Stand Up To Racism, were arrested by Met Police officers in Hyde Park Corner after defying the police ban in an attempt to confront UKIP protesters.