Labour deputy mayor caught attending 'intimidating' jihadi-style flag rally in London

THE deputy mayor of Tower Hamlets attended and met the organisers of a rally which saw jihadi-style flags flown from the steps of town hall.

Images seen by the Express show Alibor Choudhury, once called the "hatchet man" for Mayor Lutfur Rahman, meeting alleged organisers of a fringe protest which encouraged attendees to wear masks and avoid the police.

Mr Choudhury now serves in a plumb job in his office, with a salary of up to £75,000 a year. A nearly 200-page judgement from 2015 described him as Rahman's "right-hand man", and said that Mr Choudhury was responsible for "the attempted character assassination" of local political figures.

The judgement was in relation to an election fraud case which saw Mr Rahman and Mr Choudhury banned from public office for a short period, and found guilty of corrupt and illegal practices.

When the Express previously approached Tower Hamlets and the Mayor's office for comment, assurances were given that the fringe march, which organisers say saw 1,000 'brothers' in the streets, was not endorsed nor attended by the Mayors team, who instead attended a "family friendly" event nearby.

But images now show the Mayor's right-hand man meeting alleged-organisers of the protest, which were slammed as. 'aggressive' and 'intimidating' by critics.

Earlier this week the Express saw WhatsApp messages which show organisers telling followers to expect "around 1,000 local brothers" to attend to "protect our community."

The WhatsApp note ordered attendees to "follow instructions and abide by all decisions made," to "be prepared to defend ourselves," and to "be wary of professional agitators," which it claimed was "a common tactic by Zionists in Pro-Palestine marches."

Participants were urged to wear "dark, inconspicuous clothing," avoid journalists, and "not engage" with police, warning they were "not friends."

Two lawyers' mobile numbers were also circulated, with instructions to call them if arrested.

And a photograph seen by this paper showed masked men holding a jihadist-style flag on the steps of Tower Hamlets Town Hall.

At the time this image became public, the Mayor's team were keen to stress this was not endorsed by Mr Rahman. It later emerged his right-hand man had attended.

In new images seen by this paper, the Mayor, Lufter Rahman, met with alleged-organisers prior to the event at a counter protest planning meeting held by the London Muslim Center.

The Mayor's office argued that he had been attending to ask the protestors to disperse, as he was the main point of contact on the day for the police.

The Met Police have been approached for comment.