LONDON — A London march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew more than 110,000 people and became unruly on Saturday as a small group of his supporters clashed with police officers who were separating them from counterprotesters.
Several officers were punched, kicked and struck by bottles tossed by people at the fringes of the “Unite the Kingdom” rally, Metropolitan Police said.
The rally drew an estimated crowd of between 110,000 and 150,000 people, far surpassing expectations, police said.
The rival “March Against Fascism” protest organized by Stand Up To Racism had about 5,000 marchers.
Counterprotesters heckled a man with blood pouring down his face who was being escorted by police from the group of Robinson supporters.
LONDON — Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist, organized a march in London that drew over 110,000 people. However, on Saturday, a small group of his supporters clashed with police officers who were separating them from counterprotesters, causing the march to turn unruly.
People threw bottles at the edge of the “Unite the Kingdom” rally, punching, kicking, and hitting several officers, according to Metropolitan Police. Helmet and riot shield-wielding reinforcements were sent in to assist the more than 1,000 officers on duty.
Four of the 26 injured police officers suffered serious injuries, including a concussion, a broken nose, a spinal injury, and broken teeth. According to authorities, at least 25 people were taken into custody for crimes like assault, violent disorder, and criminal damage, and the investigation is still ongoing.
“Many people came with the intention of using violence, but there is no question that many came to exercise their legal right to protest,” Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist stated. “They engaged in verbal and physical abuse with officers, attempting to break through the barriers put in place to protect everyone.”. “.
An estimated 110,000–150,000 people attended the rally, far exceeding police expectations, they said. There were roughly 5,000 participants in the Stand Up To Racism-organized “March Against Fascism” protest.
anti-immigrant sentiment.
One of the most prominent far-right figures in Britain, Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) founded the English Defense League, a nationalist and anti-Islamic organization.
Influencers and a number of far-right politicians from throughout Europe used the march to promote free speech, but the majority of their speeches focused on the dangers of migration, which is a problem that much of the continent is finding difficult to manage.
Far-right French politician Eric Zemmour stated, “You and we are being colonized by our former colonies, and we are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture.”.
Video showed Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of the X platform, denouncing the left-leaning U.S. government after repeatedly entering British politics this year. The K. government.
He remarked, “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.”.
“Migrants now have more rights in court than the British public, the people that built this nation,” Robinson said in a raspy voice to the audience. “,”.
The marches take place when the U.S. K. . has been split by the controversy surrounding the illegal entry of migrants into the country via crowded inflatable boats across the English Channel.
The arrest of an Ethiopian man who was later found guilty of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a London suburb this summer sparked a wave of anti-migrant demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum-seekers. A number of those demonstrations turned violent, and people were arrested.
A sea of flags.
As part of the “Unite the Kingdom” march, participants carried the St. George chanted, “We want our country back,” while holding the union jack, the state flag of the United Kingdom, and the red-and-white flag of England. “.”.
U. K. Flags have been flying all over the United States this summer. K. — on village lampposts and at events — in what some have described as a display of patriotism and others as a sign of a tendency toward nationalism.
Signs that read “stop the boats,” “send them home,” and “enough is enough, save our children” were held by supporters. “.
With signs that read “smash the far right” and “refugees welcome,” the crowd at the counterprotest yelled “stand up, fight back.”. “.”.
Fans of Robinson chanted obscene slogans about U. K. The leader of the center-left Labour Party, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, also yelled condolences for the deceased. A. Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist.
After a brief moment of silence and a bagpiper’s performance of “Amazing Grace,” several speakers paid their respects to Kirk. “,”.
A protester brandished a sign that read, “Freedom of speech is dead.”. Goodbye, Charlie Kirk. “,”.
Blocks of London were covered in people.
There was a moment when the crowd extended approximately three-quarters of a mile (one kilometer) from Big Ben across the River Thames and around the corner beyond Waterloo.
According to police, “Unite the Kingdom” supporters attempted to breach barriers separating the groups and threw objects at the opposing rally in the late afternoon, after the marches had been largely peaceful. A crowd-control fence was breached, and officers had to use force to stop it.
An individual with blood streaming down his face who was being escorted by police from the Robinson supporter group was heckled by counterprotesters. At first, it was unclear what had happened to him.
A pro-Palestinian rally in November 2023 drew an estimated 300,000 people, but that crowd was still far smaller than one of the largest marches in recent memory.
