London police arrest 31 amid massive anti-migrant protest, smaller anti-Israel march

Police deploy 4,000 officers to maintain order in largest operation in years; UK’s PM Starmer says far-right firebrand Tommy Robinson ‘peddling hatred and division’

Tens of thousands of people rallied Saturday in London at a march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and at a smaller counter-demonstration fused with a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protest. London’s Metropolitan Police said in the afternoon that they had arrested 31 people in total from both demonstrations.

Police deployed 4,000 officers, including reinforcements from outside the capital, and pledged “the most assertive possible use of our powers” in what they called their biggest public order operation in years. They had earlier forecast turnout of at least 80,000 for Saturday’s rallies.

The force also deployed horses, dogs, drones and helicopters to manage Robinson’s so-called Unite the Kingdom march and the rival rally marking Nakba Day, an annual Palestinian event commemorating the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, when the nascent state came under attack by multiple Arab armies.

Mustering in west London and ending with speeches near Piccadilly, it combined with an anti-fascism march organized by the Stand Up to Racism group.

The Unite the Kingdom march started from Holborn in the capital’s heart, before Robinson and other speakers addressed crowds in Parliament Square.

In a late afternoon update, police said the dueling events “have proceeded largely without significant incident” and that officers had made 31 arrests in total up to that point.

Aerial footage broadcast by UK media showed tens of thousands at Robinson’s rally — a sea of British Union Jack, English St George’s and other flags — while an AFP reporter estimated only several thousand at the counter-protest.

“Immigration’s the main concern,” Christine Turner, 66, from northeast England, told AFP from the Unite the Kingdom march.

“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.”

‘MEGA’

Attendees — some sporting “Make England Great Again (MEGA),”  others carrying wooden crosses and chanting “Christ is king” — had traveled 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.

Robinson — real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — is an anti-Islam activist whose profile has soared in recent years, in particular online.

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.

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 organized by a far-right figure.

X owner Elon Musk addressed that gathering via video-link. 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.

‘Hatred and division’

The Met imposed conditions on Saturday’s two rallies in a bid to keep rival attendees apart, and for the first time, organizers were made legally responsible for ensuring invited speakers did not break hate speech laws.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer 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 organizers 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 blocked 11 “foreign far-right agitators” from entering Britain.

They included US-based “extremist” Valentina Gomez, who the government said is “known for using inflammatory and dehumanizing rhetoric about Muslim communities.”

‘Unjust beyond belief’

Nearby, demonstrators were carrying Palestinian flags and placards, calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza.

“Israel, its behavior is unjust beyond belief,” protester Sharon De-Wit said. “After the Holocaust etc, all you can do is wish the Jewish people all the best. But they won’t be able to live in peace until they allow the Palestinian people to form their own state.”

Some protesters on Saturday chanted “Death to the IDF,” referring to the Israeli army – language that police previously said had been a reason for arrests when aimed at Jewish people.

London has recently seen a spate of arson attacks on Jewish sites, and two Jewish men were stabbed last month in an incident being treated as terrorism.

Police said repeated large pro-Palestinian marches — 33 since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023 — had left many Jewish people feeling too intimidated to enter central London, with some blaming 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.”