London (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people rallied Saturday at a London march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and a counter-demonstration fused with a pro-Palestinian protest, as police mounted a huge operation to keep rival attendees apart. The capital’s Metropolitan Police deployed 4,000 officers — alongside horses, dogs, drones, and helicopters — to manage Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” march and the rally marking Nakba Day, as well as the FA Cup Final. Nakba Day commemorates the 1948 displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel.
Mustering in west London and ending with speeches near Piccadilly, the march combined with an anti-fascism event organised by the Stand Up to Racism group. The “Unite the Kingdom” march, which started from Holborn in the capital’s heart, culminated with Robinson and other speakers addressing crowds in Parliament Square. “Immigration’s the main concern,” Christine Turner, 66, from northeast England, told AFP from that event. “We’re an island. We’ve got a clear border that they’re not protecting. Something needs to be done. It’s gone on too long.”
Attendees — some sporting “Make England Great Again (MEGA)” red caps, others carrying wooden crosses and chanting “Christ is king” — had travelled from far and wide. “The main aspect that I’m behind is to protect women and children,” British-Polish teenager Amelia Stearn told AFP after flying in from Poland. “Illegal immigration is really taking a toll on the country,” she said of the UK. Heather Booker was among those to turn out at the combined pro-Palestine and Stand Up to Racism event. “It’s very worrying that there’s a real rise in racism and fascism in Britain and across Europe,” she told AFP.
The Met were yet to issue attendance estimates, but aerial footage broadcast by UK media showed tens of thousands at the Unite the Kingdom rally, which featured a sea of British Union Jack, English St George’s, and other flags. An AFP reporter at the counter-protest estimated only several thousand there. In a Saturday evening update, police said officers had made 43 arrests at the twin protests and an additional 22 at the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley. “Four officers were assaulted today. Fortunately, none seriously. A further six officers were subjected to hate crime offences,” the Met said on X.
Robinson — real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — is a former football hooligan turned anti-Islam activist whose profile has soared in recent years, particularly online. Last September, he drew up to 150,000 people into central London for a similarly themed rally proclaiming “national unity, free speech, and Christian values” — an unprecedented turnout for an event organised by a far-right figure. He has tapped into growing public anger over tens of thousands of migrants crossing the English Channel each year in small boats, wider immigration policies, alleged free speech curbs, and other issues. X owner Elon Musk addressed the September gathering via video link, and the rally shocked mainstream Britain for its scale and raw messaging, as well as clashes between some participants and police, which injured dozens of officers.
The Met had imposed various conditions on Saturday’s two rallies in an effort to avoid confrontations. For the first time, organisers were made legally responsible for ensuring invited speakers did not break hate speech laws. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had warned Friday that “anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone… can expect to face the full force of the law.” He accused the organisers of Robinson’s rally of “peddling hatred and division.”
Robinson — who had urged his attendees not to wear masks or drink excessive alcohol, and to be “peaceful and courteous” — told those gathered he was spearheading a “cultural revolution.” Leading expletive-filled chants decrying Starmer, he urged them to get involved in politics ahead of “the battle of Britain” in 2029, when the next general election is due. Ahead of the rally, the government also blocked 11 “foreign far-right agitators” from entering Britain. They include US-based extremist Valentina Gomez, who the government said is “known for using inflammatory and dehumanising rhetoric about Muslim communities.”
Saturday’s rival demonstrations followed a spate of violent attacks targeting London’s Jewish community. Some have blamed instances of hate speech at pro-Palestinian marches for helping to fuel antisemitism. The UK’s terrorism threat level was raised two weeks ago to the second-highest level of “severe,” with security officials citing the “broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat.”
© 2024 AFP
