Thousands protest in London as 43 arrested by police

Major Protests Take Place in Central London

Tens of thousands of people gathered in central London for two significant protests, with police reporting 43 arrests. The events included Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march and a pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally, both held on Saturday. Approximately 4,000 police officers were deployed to manage the large crowds.

As of around 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that 43 arrests had been made. Additionally, 22 arrests occurred at the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. Four officers were assaulted during the events, and six others were subjected to hate crime offenses, according to a post on X by the police force.

During the Unite the Kingdom march, chants such as “Keir Starmer’s a wanker” and “we want Starmer out” were heard. Many protesters wore “Make England Great Again (Mega)” red hats. Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, posted a video on X from the protest where he claimed, “Keir Starmer, the country’s awake, your days are numbered.” He also stated that there were millions at the march, despite police estimating tens of thousands would attend.

On stage, Robinson urged the crowd to become involved in local politics. He said, “Are you ready for the battle of Britain? 2029 we have an election. We’re not asking anyone to go out and fight, but this is the most important moment in our generation. If we don’t send a message in our next election, if you don’t register to vote, if you don’t get involved, if you don’t become activists, we are going to lose our country forever.”

Siobhan Whyte, the mother of Rhiannon Whyte, who was murdered by a Sudanese asylum seeker, addressed the Unite the Kingdom protest. She accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of failing her daughter, stating, “Keir Starmer, where do I even begin to discuss this abhorrent excuse of a leader of our country? He has failed us. He has failed my daughter, Rhiannon. I believe she will still be alive today if this disgusting excuse of a man had not been in control.”

Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, who claimed to have been banned by Starmer from entering the UK ahead of the rally, appeared on stage via video link. However, there were issues with the schedule and video links during the speeches.

Pro-Palestine Rally Draws Large Crowd

At the pro-Palestine march, a large group of protesters carried banners and placards with messages such as “Bristol stands with Palestine,” “Stop Trump, Stop Farage,” and “Free Palestinian Hostages.” Many attendees wore keffiyehs. Organizers estimated at least a quarter of a million people attended, while police previously estimated 30,000 would take part.

Labour MP Apsana Begum told protesters at the rally that the movement would not be divided by the “far right.” MP Diane Abbott emphasized that they faced a “common enemy” in the “far right,” adding, “They are viciously right-wing, viciously racist, they are anti-black, anti-Muslim, and viciously antisemitic. We have to come together… to fight the racists, to fight the fascists, to fight the antisemites.”

A woman was arrested after refusing to remove a fabric face mask she was wearing at the pro-Palestine protest. She was part of a group asked to remove fabric and surgical face coverings. Another group wearing orange jumpsuits with masks over their faces bearing a photo of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage were also asked to remove their masks.

Enhanced Security Measures

Drones were used to monitor both protest routes. Live facial recognition technology was employed for the first time in a protest policing operation. Cameras were set up in an area of Camden that was not on the route of the Unite the Kingdom march but was expected to be used by many attendees.

Share :