Around 110,000 people have crowded parts of central London in a demonstration against immigration under the slogan Unite the Kingdom, called by the far-right leader Tommy Robinson, where banners with various demands have been seen: from the expulsion of undocumented immigrants to the demand that customer service workers (most of whom are not in the UK) have a good level of English.
One of the prominent figures in the march has been the American far-right activist Charlie Kirk, whose assassination on Wednesday has been used by the Government of Donald Trump to mobilize its base. The speakers' platform also featured more traditional symbols, such as flags of St. George, the Union Jack, the St. Andrew's Cross, and the Welsh dragon, as well as wooden crosses with the word "Christ". Attendees sang Christian hymns and chanted slogans in support of Robinson mixed with insults towards the Prime Minister, the Labour leader Keir Starmer.
The protest has not only been marked by the massive turnout, but also by violence. The Metropolitan Police, the force overseeing order in London, deployed over 1,600 officers to contain the protests and prevent clashes. Nevertheless, authorities have confirmed that several officers were attacked with projectiles and assaulted (26 officers were injured) while trying to maintain police lines. There were 25 people arrested in the disturbances. "Officers are having to intervene in multiple locations to prevent Unite the Kingdom protesters from breaking police lines or reaching opposing groups," the Metropolitan Police stated in a release.
Tension escalated due to a counter-demonstration of around 5,000 people organized by Stand Up to Racism (SUTR), in which Labour defector Zahira Saltana participated, who is one of the co-founders of the recently created left-wing party Your Party.
The magnitude of the anti-immigration demonstration has overwhelmed the authorities, with people climbing on marquees and portable toilets to see the speakers. The main speaker was Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a former member of the fascist British National Party (BNP), supported by billionaire Elon Musk and attempted to position as the leader of the Reform Party, led by Nigel Farage. However, Robinson is too far-right for Reform, which has never accepted him as a member and has politically sidelined the few followers he has in that party. Musk has also threatened to finance Robinson's activities, which would violate British legislation.