<p><br /> Thousands of English Defence League (EDL) supporters have descended on the town that spawned the far-right movement for a rally.<br /> </p><p><br /> The group will gather in Luton, where counter-demonstrations have been organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and sections of the town's Muslim community.<br /> </p><p><br /> A massive police operation has been launched with more than a thousand officers on the streets at a cost of more than £800,000.<br /> </p><p><br /> Senior EDL members claim more than 4,000 supporters from across Britain and overseas will converge on Luton for a march and rally. The event has been billed with the slogan "Back to Where It All Began" alongside images of EDL members in balaclavas.<br /> </p><p><br /> Founder Stephen Lennon, 28, said: "We want it to be peaceful. We want to get our point across. We want our local and national issues at the forefront, not anything else."<br /> </p><p><br /> Kelvin Hopkins, Labour MP for Luton North, said: "Freedom of speech is important but when outsiders are determined to come into Luton and incite racial hatred they should not be permitted to do so."<br /> </p><p><br /> The EDL has been controversial ever since its formation almost two years ago.<br /> </p><p><br /> The far-right street protest movement opposes what it sees as the spread of Sharia law and militant Islam in England.<br /> </p><p><br /> Their regular protests in towns and cities across the country frequently descend into violence as they are met by counter-demonstrations, often organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF).<br /> </p><p><br /> The demonstration was taking place just hours after Prime Minster David Cameron delivered a speech in Munich in which he declared that multiculturalism had failed in the UK and he called for a "muscular liberalism" that challenges Islamist extremism more forcefully.<br /> </p>
