Over a thousand British Muslims took to the streets of London on Tuesday in a show of force, blocking off a central London square to call for a caliphate while the crowd chanted ‘Allahu Akbar’.

We need a Caliph who will clean up these streets / Who will smack up armies and who will back beef [fighting]. / Backhand your missiles back to your land, that’s the plan. / World domination at hand. We can expand and take out these fools.

Those were the words of a poet invited to address the raucous crowd outside the Syrian Embassy in central London who cheered and yelled Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest) in support of his calls for war.

Eschewing an alternative demonstration in support of Syria taking place outside Downing Street on the grounds that they did not support the British government, the protesters heard speeches by Moazzam Begg of CAGE, editor of 5Pillars Dilly Hussain, and Hizb ut-Tahrir member Ibtihal Bsis among others.

Lanes of traffic were blocked off in London’s Belgrave Square as the protest got underway at about 9pm, with a prayer session outside the Syrian embassy. The building has lain empty since May 2012 when the Syrian ambassador to the UK was expelled by the British government.

The crowd, mostly drawn from mosques across London, was largely self-segregated with many of the women wearing Islamic clothing. It soon grew to block off the entire road, with many in the crowd waving what looked to be the Taliban flag, while others were handed placards made by Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, which calls for the reestablishment of a caliphate. It is not clear who organised the demonstration…. (hier)