More than 100,000 people have gathered in London for a “free speech” rally spearheaded by Tommy Robinson.
The Metropolitan Police said it estimated around 110,000 were in Whitehall for the “Unite the Kingdom” event based on CCTV and police helicopter footage, amid claims from Robinson’s supporters of three million people there.
A sea of flags could be seen in the crowd including the St George’s Cross, the Union flag, the Scottish saltire and Welsh dragon with others carrying wooden crosses with “Christ” written on and singing Christian songs.
But attendees were also seen fleeing for the cover of trees after heavy rain battered a stage where speakers including actor turned activist Laurence Fox addressed the crowd.
Chants in support of Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, could be heard alongside “f*** Keir Starmer” and “Keir Starmer is a wanker” but police said there had been no incidents of note as the protesters marched from near Waterloo to the south side of Whitehall.
Meanwhile, a counter-protest, dubbed March Against Fascism, organised by Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) is also taking place in London on the north side of Whitehall, with around 5,000 people attending, according to Met estimates.
The crowd 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.
Robinson said the “revolution is on” in a video posted to X where he claimed his Unite the Kingdom protest was the largest demonstration in British history.
The far-right activist told his followers that London was full of “patriots” before saying “the spark has started, the revolution is on”.
Both demonstrations are separated by barriers with a “sterile area” to minimise the risk of clashes between the groups.
Robinson has called on attendees of his rally to not wear masks, drink alcohol or be violent.
Strict conditions have been imposed under the Public Order Act on where and when campaigners can protest, the Met said, with the SUTR event ending at 4pm and the Unite the Kingdom event finishing at 6pm.
Five Premier League football matches are also set to take place on Saturday, including derbies between West Ham and Tottenham, and Brentford and Chelsea.
More than 1,600 officers will be deployed in total across the city, with 500 brought in from other forces, the Metropolitan Police said.
