LONDON (AP) – More than 100,000 protesters packed London Street on Saturday to participate in a parade organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
The “King of Unity” rally carried out a large number of counter-protesters, organized by standing among racist groups, gathered under the banner of “March against Fascism”.
More than 1,000 police officers have the responsibility to patrol duels and have a buffer zone to prevent two people from interacting with each other near government halls.
The march was basically peaceful, but police said they were attacked by some members of the “King of Unity” march, who threw objects at them and tried to break through set barriers to separate the two groups. Metropolitan police said officers had to use force to prevent crowd control fences from being violated.
Police estimate that Robinson gathered about 110,000 people. The rival protests included about 5,000 marchers.
The larger crowd extends from Big Ben on the Thames to the corner outside Waterloo Railway Station, about three-quarters of a mile (about one kilometer).
Although the crowds are large, it is far more than one of the recent parades, when a pro-Palestinian rally attracted about 300,000 people in November 2023.
Robinson, whose name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is known for his nationalist and anti-immigrant views, uses the march as a demonstration of freedom of speech and says it is to defend British heritage and culture.
Robinson told the crowd in a hoarse voice that immigrants in court have more rights than “the people who built this country, the British public.”
The march was caused in the UK by a debate over the crowded inflatable boats crossing the British Channel, without authorization to reach shore.
This summer, after an Ethiopian man was arrested, there were numerous anti-immigration protests outside hotel housing asylum seekers this summer, who was later convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a suburb of London. Some of these protests became violent and led to arrests.
Participants of the “King of Unity” parade carried the British St. George’s red and white flag and United Jack, the British national flag and shouted “We want our country to come back”. The British flags have surged in Britain this summer – in the Lampster Islands of events and villages – some say a manifestation of national pride, while others say reflect a tendency towards nationalism.
Some Robinson supporters held signs that read “Stop the boat”, “Send them home”, “Enough, save our children.”
In the case of counter-protesters, the crowd held signs saying “refugees welcome” and “smash to the far right” and shouted “Stand up and fight back.”
Robinson supporters chanted about crude oil from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and yelled support from the murdered American conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
A protester held a sign saying, “Freedom of speech is dead. Tear Charlie Kirk apart.”
Robinson planned a “King of Solidarity” rally last October but was unable to attend after being sentenced to jail for violating a 2021 High Court order, forbidding him from repeating the defamation charges against Syrian refugees who successfully prosecuted him. He was previously jailed for assault and mortgage fraud.
Robinson established a nationalist and anti-Islamist British defence alliance and was one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain. He urged his followers not to wear masks, drink or become violent.
