A rally organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and attended by more than 110,000 people was marred by violence on Saturday, with officers making dozens of arrests after clashes broke out with police.
Many attended the “Unite the Kingdom” event in central London with the intent to cause trouble, said Met Police assistant commissioner Matt Twist, who said 25 arrests had been made and 26 officers injured.
The events led home secretary Shabana Mahmood to condemn protesters who attacked and injured police, vowing that anyone “taking part in criminal activity will face the full force of the law”.
There was also outcry over the appearance of Elon Musk, who, in conversation with Robinson on stage via a video link, called for the dissolution of parliament, while encouraging Britons to “fight back or die” over the “destruction of Britain” caused by “massive uncontrolled migration”.
In response, a Labour source told The Independent: “Threats of violence have no place in our politics, and every politician who believes in democracy should distance themselves from these disgusting comments.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Tesla boss “doesn’t care about the British people or our rights. He only cares about himself and his ego”.
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At least 110,000 people arrived in central London to attend the “freedom of speech” march, which went from Waterloo to Whitehall, and was called the biggest far-right demonstration in British history by campaign group Hope not Hate.
Meanwhile, 5,000 anti-racism campaigners congregated for counterprotests, with more than 1,600 officers deployed across the city in a bid to prevent clashes.
Aerial pictures captured a sea of Union and St George’s flags, while on the ground the protesters shouted chants including “our streets” and “the people united will never be defeated”. Some targeted prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who was pictured watching Arsenal at the Emirates some five miles away.
Arriving at Whitehall, the demonstrators gathered at a stage to hear speeches from Laurence Fox, Katie Hopkins and Robinson, but some faced off with counter protesters over a line of police officers, some carrying riot shields.
Smashed bottles, Union flags, beer cans, flag poles and horse manure were among the debris littered across the metres-wide gap separating the two groups.
The Met said there has been “significant aggression” aimed at officers by the Robinson protesters, with extra officers deployed to deal with the disorder.
Mr Twist said: “There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence. They confronted officers, engaging in physical and verbal abuse, making a determined effort to breach cordons in place to keep everyone safe.”
He said of the 26 officers hurt, four were injured seriously, with broken teeth, a possible broken nose, a concussion, a prolapsed disc and a head injury. “We are identifying those who were involved in the disorder and they can expect to face robust police action in the coming days and weeks,” he added.
Ms Mahmood, who was appointed home secretary just last week as part of Sir Keir’s cabinet reshuffle, said: “The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to this nation. I thank the police who worked hard to ensure much of today’s protest was peaceful.
“But I condemn those who have attacked and injured police officers. Anyone taking part in criminal activity will face the full force of the law.”
Minister Torsten Bell told The Independent that the number of people attending the march were “far more than I’d like, but dwarfed by the millions that understand real patriotism means loving your country as it actually is, not hating its diversity or trying to exploit its challenges.”
Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson, told The Independent: “The right to peaceful protest is an important cornerstone of our democracy. Anyone attacking police officers who are simply trying to do their job and keep us all safe should face the full force of the law. Far right thugs taking part in this kind of violence do not speak for Britain.”
There was further political reaction after Mr Musk, owner of X, accused the government of failing to protect children “who are getting gang-raped”. In January, the tech billionaire attacked Sir Keir over Labour’s handling of grooming gangs.
Mr Musk told the crowds: “There’s this genuine risk of rape and murder and the destruction of the country and the dissolution of the entire way of life. If you weren’t under a massive attack then people should go about their business and live their lives but unfortunately if the fight comes to you, you don’t have a choice.”
He warned them that “violence is coming to you”, adding you “either fight back or you die”.
And he said: “I really think that there’s got to be a change of government in Britain. You can’t – we don’t have another four years, or whenever the next election is, it’s too long. Something’s got to be done. There’s got to be a dissolution of parliament and a new vote held.”
The crowd responded to his appearance with cheers and chants of “Elon Musk” and “Elon”.
But the comments were met by condemnation across the political divide last night.
There was also anger from James frontman, Tim Booth, who said the group is “looking into our options” after their smash hit “Sit Down” was used in a video posted by Robinson, highlighting the size of the protest.
Meanwhile, the counterprotest, dubbed March Against Fascism, chanted “stand up, fight back” and “we are the women, we won’t be silenced, stop the fascists now, now, now, now” as they marched from Russell Square towards parliament.
Diane Abbott urged Sir Keir to call the recent asylum hotel demonstrations racist, as a number have been held throughout the summer in the lead up to Saturday’s “Unite” rally.
