Thousands of people descend on London for two major protests

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE have descended on London for two major demonstrations amid a huge £4.5 million (€5.17 million) police operation.

Police have estimated about 50,000 people are set to attend Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march, while 30,000 are expected to go to the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally.

Armoured vehicles, police horses, dogs, drones and helicopters will be deployed along with around 4,000 officers on duty as the Met aims to avoid clashes between the two rallies.

Crowds have gathered for the Unite the Kingdom march, many waving Union flags, while protesters in South Kensington are carrying Palestine flags and signs reading “smash the far right” for the pro-Palestine rally.

Chants of “Keir Starmer’s a wanker” and “we want Starmer out” could be heard on Kingsway from the Unite the Kingdom march.

Some protesters at the front of the march were carrying wooden crosses and chanted “Christ is king”, while others threw beach balls and drank cans of alcohol as they waited for the protest to begin.

At the pro-Palestine march, a large group of protesters carrying banners and placards reading “Bristol stands with Palestine”, “Stop Trump, Stop Farage”, and “Free Palestinian Hostages” gathered with many wearing keffiyehs.

A woman has been arrested after she appeared to refuse to remove a fabric face mask she was wearing at the pro-Palestine protest.

She was part of a group of protesters who were all asked 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 asked to remove their masks.

Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, posted on X on Saturday morning saying “today, we Unite The Kingdom and the West in the greatest patriotic display the world has ever seen”.

Meanwhile, Daniel Kebede, National Education Union general secretary, said “we’re marching today to show that we will not allow Tommy Robinson and the far right to divide our communities”.

Sabby Dhalu, Stand Up To Racism co-convener, said: “Violence broke out the last time Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom demonstration mobilised what was one of the largest far-right street demonstrations in recent British history.

“This comes amid wider attempts by figures such as Elon Musk to amplify far-right narratives and encourage political instability.

“The far right is attempting to exploit the cost-of-living crisis by stirring up racism and falsely blaming migrants and refugees for people’s hardships in order to build a dangerous street movement.

“History shows where this kind of politics can lead.

“That is why tens of thousands of people will mobilise today to oppose racism and the far right, and to demonstrate that the overwhelming majority of people in Britain reject hate and division.”

Justice Secretary David Lammy said authorities would act “swiftly” if protests turned violent.

In a post on X on Saturday, he said: “The Unite the Kingdom march organisers are spreading hatred and division.

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“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.”

Two men who arrived in London to attend the Unite the Kingdom protest have been arrested near Euston station over an unrelated incident in Birmingham, police said.

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.”

Prosecutors have been told to consider whether protest placards, banners and chants viewed on social media may amount to offences of stirring up hatred during the rallies.

The new guidance, issued before what police have described as an “unprecedented” security operation, urges prosecutors to assess whether slogans, symbols or chants may influence audiences online if they are filmed and shared.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the revised advice is designed to reflect “the changing international context” and follows separate guidance concerning the fast-tracking of hate crime prosecutions issued earlier this month.

The guidance tells prosecutors to take account of the wider context surrounding protests, including heightened tensions linked to national or international events.

Recent criminal cases have seen suspects charged after shouting “death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)” and “globalise the intifada”.

Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said “this is not about restricting free speech” and “it is about preventing hate crime and protecting the public, particularly at a time of heightened tensions”.

The British government has also blocked 11 foreign nationals described by Keir Starmer as “far-right agitators” from entering the UK ahead of the Unite the Kingdom rally.

Right-wing figures claiming to have been barred include Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, Belgian politician Filip Dewinter, anti-Islam commentator Valentina Gomez and Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek.

Speaking during a visit to a Metropolitan Police command centre in Lambeth on Friday, Starmer said the Unite the Kingdom organisers were “peddling hatred and division, plain and simple”.

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley was also at the visit and told Starmer: “We’ve got a time when hate crime has been escalated for the last two or three years.”

Commander Clair Haynes also told Starmer that drones would be used to monitor both protest routes for “potential clashes or flashes” while officers in Wembley would monitor CCTV feeds from the FA Cup final to identify supporters travelling towards demonstrations.

For the first time under official protest restrictions, organisers of the rallies will face prosecution as well as any speakers who break the law by using the events as a platform for extremism or hate speech.

Live facial recognition will be used for the first time in a protest policing operation, with cameras set up in an area of Camden that is not on the route of the Unite the Kingdom march, but is expected to be used by a lot of people attending the event.

The Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner Professor William Webster told the Press Association police forces could find themselves taken to court over their use of the technology, saying it is not “foolproof”.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said the policing operation will cost the force £4.5 million (€5.17 million), with £1.7 million (€1.95 million) being used on bringing in officers from other forces to boost numbers.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Federation said many officers have had leave cancelled and rest days withdrawn to meet policing requirements, adding: “There are not enough of us.”