The “Unite the Kingdom” march, led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson against immigration, drew over 100,000 people to central London on Saturday, with participants voicing opposition to migration and perceived threats to national identity.
The massive crowd turned unruly as a small group of supporters clashed with police officers who were trying to keep them apart from counterprotesters, the Associated Press reported.
Metropolitan Police said several officers were punched, kicked, and struck by bottles thrown from the fringes of the rally. Reinforcements equipped with helmets and riot shields were deployed to support more than 1,000 officers on duty.
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At least nine people were arrested, with authorities stating that many more offenders had been identified for future action, the report added.
The rival “March Against Fascism,” organised by Stand Up To Racism, drew around 5,000 participants.
Concerns over migration
Robinson, born Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the nationalist and anti-Islam English Defence League and is one of Britain’s most influential far-right figures.
Though billed as a free speech demonstration, much of the messaging at the rally focused on the perceived dangers of migration, a topic causing controversy across Europe.
French far-right politician Eric Zemmour told the crowd, “We are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by people coming from the south and of Muslim culture, you and we are being colonised by our former colonies.”
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and owner of the X platform, appeared via video and criticised the UK government, saying, “There’s something beautiful about being British and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain, initially a slow erosion, but rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration.”
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Robinson also told attendees that migrants now enjoy more rights in court than the “British public, the people that built this nation.”
Tensions over channel crossings
The rallies come amid public concern over migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded boats. Anti-migrant protests have taken place outside hotels housing asylum-seekers, some becoming violent, after the arrest of an Ethiopian man later convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a London suburb.
Marchers waved St. George’s flags and Union Jacks while chanting, “we want our country back.”
Placards read “stop the boats,” “send them home,” and “enough is enough, save our children.” Counterprotesters carried signs stating “refugees welcome” and “smash the far right,” shouting, “stand up, fight back.”
Several speakers paid tribute to slain US conservative activist Charlie Kirk with a moment of silence, followed by a bagpiper playing “Amazing Grace.” One demonstrator held a sign reading: “Freedom of speech is dead. RIP Charlie Kirk.”
Crowd spreads across London streets
At its peak, the rally stretched from Big Ben across the River Thames and beyond Waterloo Station, roughly three-quarters of a mile. While mostly peaceful, tensions escalated late in the afternoon as some supporters threw objects at counter-protesters and tried to break through police barriers. Officers used force to prevent breaches.
The turnout was smaller than a pro-Palestinian rally in November 2023, which attracted approximately 300,000 people. Robinson had originally planned the rally for October 2024 but could not attend due to a jail term for contempt of court.
With Associated Press inputs
