A Christian evangelist was pushed with force from behind by a masked Muslim man whilst his equipment was kicked during a confrontation in Whitechapel on 16 February, with a local Muslim later telling TalkTV that people who say “bad things” about those who follow Islam should be punished.
The incident occurred on Whitechapel Road in East London the day before Ramadan began, with video footage showing the preacher surrounded by multiple men as he attempted to speak through a microphone. A man wearing grey tracksuit bottoms and a puffer coat kicked part of his equipment before another manically shouted in his face: “Where you come from?”
When the preacher replied “London,” the second man continued screaming and making gestures before a third Muslim wearing a mask approached from behind and pushed him with force. The encounter, captured by YouTuber Auditing Britain, at times threatened to boil over during the tense exchanges.
Speaking after the incident, a local Muslim in the area told TalkTV: “Muslim people live around this area. If [people] are saying bad things [about Muslims], the police knows how it goes. They will take it seriously. Maybe he is arrested, maybe they will give him a chance to not say that thing.”
One Muslim in the group surrounding the preacher stated “this is East London, this is Whitechapel, a Bengali area, a Muslim area” when arguing with a female Met Police officer who tried to diffuse the row. The officer had defended the preacher’s freedom of speech when the group of males surrounded her to complain the evangelist was “in a Muslim area.”
In separate footage, a Muslim man wearing sunglasses and a tracksuit repeatedly bellowed “we don’t want to worship a Jewish man” as the Christian preacher tried to speak. He quipped “we don’t believe in a Jew” amid the chaotic encounter just moments before the police officer’s freedom of speech defence.
The man stated: “Why do you come here and want us to worship a Jewish man? I don’t understand. Listen, we don’t want to worship a Jewish man. You come here and want to tell us to worship a Jewish man. Yeah, go and worship your Jewish man. You believe in a mystical dying God. A man God. We don’t believe in a Jew.”
The Christian argued he had come to the area to “preach true salvation,” continuing to speak through his microphone where he quoted extracts from the Koran and questioned Islam. In response, the Muslim man repeatedly shouted: “Your god is a Jew. We have some slaves of Jews here.”
The female Met Police officer’s intervention focused on explaining UK freedom of speech laws to the group surrounding the preacher. However, the confrontation escalated to physical violence despite her presence, with the masked man’s push and the equipment kicking occurring during the tense standoff.
The timing on the eve of Ramadan added sensitivity to the encounter, with the preacher’s decision to quote from the Koran and question Islam in an area described by locals as predominantly Bengali and Muslim creating the conditions for confrontation.
The local Muslim’s comments to TalkTV suggesting police “will take it seriously” and the person “maybe is arrested” for saying “bad things” about Muslims appeared to reference potential legal consequences rather than vigilante action, though the actual physical assault occurred without apparent police intervention at the time.
The incident raises questions about how police manage competing rights in areas with concentrated religious demographics, with the officer’s freedom of speech explanation apparently insufficient to prevent physical confrontation. The Metropolitan Police have not publicly commented on whether arrests were made following the physical assault captured on video.
The footage shows the preacher continuing his evangelism despite the hostile reception, equipment damage and physical violence, with his determination to preach in the area despite clear opposition from locals creating the ongoing tension throughout the encounter.
