A group of Muslim extremists plan to hold an anti-alcohol demonstration has been dismissed as a stunt.
Members of The Shariah Project, believed to be linked with hate preacher Anjem Choudary, are planning a rally in Brick Lane on Friday.
The East London Advertiser is reporting that Choudary will attend the event.
Abu Rumaysah, 30, a spokesman for the group, told London 24: “There’s a lot of problems in the area like anti-social behaviour caused by drinking and a lot of the Muslims are involved in selling alcohol in their shops.”
But an East London Mosque official said the rally would “antagonise local people and business owners”.
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A post attempting to justify the protest on the Shariah Project's website says: "Despite some legislation having been introduced to curb the negative effects created by the alcohol industry it is clearly not enough, especially when the high streets are littered with pubs and off-licences!
"It is with this narrative that we encourage every Muslim to join us on Friday, 13th December to show that, unlike the government, we care for the welfare of our community."