Two major protests are taking place in London today, with thousands of people gathering for Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march and the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally
Two significant demonstrations are taking place in London amid a massive £4.5 million police operation. Armoured vehicles, police horses, dogs, drones and helicopters have been mobilised alongside approximately 4,000 officers on duty as the Met seeks to prevent confrontations between Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march and the pro-Palestine Nakba Day demonstration.
Tens of thousands of participants have assembled for the Unite the Kingdom march, many brandishing Union flags, while demonstrators in South Kensington are displaying Palestine flags and placards declaring “smash the far right” for the pro-Palestine gathering.
Eleven people have been detained “for a variety of offences” at the Unite the Kingdom and Nakba Day protests in London as of 1pm, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.
This includes two men who travelled to London to participate in the Unite the Kingdom protest who were apprehended near Euston station over an unconnected incident in Birmingham, police revealed.
The Metropolitan Police posted on X saying: “Two men, wanted on suspicion of GBH following an incident in Birmingham where a man was run over, were spotted arriving into London to attend the UTK protest.”
The Met subsequently clarified one of the men was detained in relation to the incident in Birmingham but the second was sought for a separate offence which involved inciting people to assault a police officer.
Chants of “Keir Starmer’s a w*****” and “we want Starmer out” echoed down Kingsway during the Unite the Kingdom march, with numerous protesters donning red “Make England Great Again (Mega)” hats.
Some demonstrators at the forefront of the march bore wooden crosses and chanted “Christ is king”, while others tossed beach balls and sipped cans of alcohol as they awaited the start of the protest.
Tommy Robinson urged the assembled crowds at his protest to engage in local politics when he addressed them from the stage.
He declared from the stage: “Are you ready for the battle of Britain? 2029 we have an election. We’re not asking anyone to go out and fight, but this is the most important moment in our generation.
“If we don’t send a message in our next election, if you don’t register to vote, if you don’t get involved, if you don’t become activists, we are going to lose our country forever.”
He added: “We have to get political, we have to get involved. I’m not going to tell you which political party you need to join. We’re a cultural movement. I’m going to tell you that you have to join a political party. I don’t care if it’s Reform, if it’s Advance, or it’s Restore, or it’s the Conservative Party. We have to locally get involved in politics.”
Other speakers included former Apprentice contestant Katie Hopkins, television personality Ant Middleton, ex-actor Laurence Fox and former Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen.
Siobhan Whyte, the mother of Rhiannon Whyte who was murdered by a Sudanese asylum seeker, told the Unite the Kingdom protest Sir Keir Starmer “failed my daughter”.
She said: “Keir Starmer, where do I even begin to discuss this abhorrent excuse of a leader of our country? He has failed us. He has failed my daughter, Rhiannon.
“I believe she will still be alive today if this disgusting excuse of a man had not been in control.”
The crowd was informed there were problems with the timetable and video connections during the addresses.
At the pro-Palestine demonstration, a substantial group of campaigners carrying banners and placards reading “Bristol stands with Palestine”, “Stop Trump, Stop Farage”, and “Free Palestinian Hostages” assembled with many donning keffiyehs.
One demonstrator held a St George’s Cross which simply displayed the words, “have a heart”.
A woman was detained after she appeared to decline to remove a fabric face mask she was wearing at the pro-Palestine demonstration.
She was part of a group of campaigners who were all requested to remove fabric and surgical face coverings.
A separate group, who were wearing orange jumpsuits with masks over their faces bearing a photo of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, were also requested to remove their masks.
Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, shared a video on X from the demonstration in which he said: “Keir Starmer, the country’s awake, your days are numbered.” In another instance, he asserted that millions were in attendance, yet police projected that tens of thousands would participate.
He stated: “This is the biggest event in British history. This is the moment, a turning point for Britain.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Kebede, National Education Union general secretary, declared in a statement prior to the protest “we’re marching today to show that we will not allow Tommy Robinson and the far right to divide our communities”.
Justice Secretary David Lammy assured that authorities would respond “swiftly” if protests escalated into violence.
In a post on X on Saturday, he said: “The Unite the Kingdom march organisers are spreading hatred and division.
“They do not reflect the Britain I’m proud of. Peaceful protest is a fundamental right and one I will always protect.
“But if protest turns violent, we will act swiftly, with extra court capacity in place.”