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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Holly Bancroft

The Tommy Robinson allies set to attend Unite the Kingdom rally

  • Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march in London this weekend is expected to feature a diverse array of speakers, including TV personality Ant Middleton, anti-migrant vigilante and self-styled paedophile hunter Alex Cairnie, and disgraced former Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen.
  • The Home Office has disrupted the rally's plans by issuing travel bans to prevent at least seven international far-right figures, such as Polish MEP Dominik Tarczynski and anti-Islam influencer Valentina Gomez, from entering the UK to participate.
  • Metropolitan Police are preparing for a major policing operation, anticipating about 50,000 attendees for Robinson's march and 30,000 for a separate pro-Palestine rally, potentially bringing the total number of protesters in the capital to 100,000, alongside FA Cup final crowds.
  • The extensive policing effort will involve 4,000 officers and incur costs of around £4.5 million, with live facial recognition technology deployed in Camden and explicit warnings from police that they will intervene immediately if hate speech is used by speakers.
  • Promotional materials describe the march as “the ultimate stand for those who refuse to let their culture be sidelined”, focusing on “capitalism, democracy and faith”, following a previous demonstration that resulted in 22 arrests and clashes between groups.

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