More than 100,000 demonstrators took to the streets of London on Saturday for a march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and is known for his nationalist and anti-migrant views, billed the march as a demonstration for free speech, and also said it was in defence of British heritage and culture.
The "United the Kingdom" rally drew around 110,000 people, according to a police estimate. A rival “March Against Fascism.” counter-protest organised by Stand Up to Racism had around 5,000 marchers.
More than 1,000 police officers were on duty to patrol the competing demonstrations, while a buffer zone aimed to keep the two sides from clashing with each other.
After an initially peaceful afternoon, “Unite the Kingdom” protesters threw items at the rival rally and tried to break through barriers set up to separate the groups. Officers had to use force to keep a crowd-control fence from being breached, the police said.
At least nine people were arrested, but police indicated many other offenders had been identified and would be held accountable.
Some Robinson supporters held signs saying “stop the boats,” “send them home,” and “enough is enough, save our children.” Many also carried the St George’s red-and-white flag of England and the union jack, the state flag of the United Kingdom, and chanted “we want our country back.”
At the counter-protest, people held signs saying “refugees welcome" and ”smash the far right," and shouted “stand up, fight back."
The marches come at a time when the UK has been riven by debate over migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded inflatable boats to arrive on shore without authorisation.
Although the crowd gathered was large, it fell far short of one of the biggest recent marches, when a pro-Palestinian rally drew an estimated 300,000 people in November 2023.
Robinson had previously planned a “Unite the Kingdom” rally for October last year, but could not attend after being jailed for contempt of court for violating a 2021 High Court order barring him from repeating libelous allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him. He has previously served jail time for assault and mortgage fraud.
