Met Police declares “it is not possible” for more people to access Parliament area as officers attacked with projectiles during Tommy Robinson march
More than 110,000 protesters have packed central London for the “Unite the Kingdom” rally, with the Metropolitan Police declaring “it is not possible” for more people to march towards Parliament.
The Met Police confirmed there was a “very large turnout” with roughly 110,000 protesters gathering in central London for the far-right demonstration organised by Tommy Robinson, whilst an estimated 5,000 attended a counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Racism.
“It is not possible for any more people to get into Bridge Street, Parliament Street or Whitehall,” the Met Police said on X. “We’re working with organisers to provide exit routes for the crowds. We’d ask people to follow the organisers’ calls to remain calm.”
Officers Assaulted During Clashes
The police added that its officers were “having to intervene in multiple locations” to stop protesters from accessing “sterile areas” designed to keep the opposing groups apart. Police added that officers were also stopping protesters from breaching police cordons or getting to opposing groups.
A number of officers have been assaulted,” the Met Police said. When protesters attempted to enter the sterile area on Whitehall, “officers were attacked with projectiles,” according to the force. “(They) have had to use force to avoid their cordon being breached,” the Met added.
About 4:30pm, the Met police said it continued to “see significant aggression directed at officers by Unite the Kingdom protesters.” The force reported that bottles, flares and other projectiles were thrown at officers, who were also assaulted with kicks and punches.
“We have deployed additional officers with protective equipment in multiple locations, supported by police horses, to deal with the disorder,” the Met said.
Massive Security Operation
Roughly 1,600 officers were deployed across London on Saturday to deal with the rally and counter-protest, as well as five Premier League football matches taking place in the capital. According to the Met Police, 500 officers were brought in from other forces, with around 1,000 specifically responsible for “ensuring that two demonstrations in central London take place safely.
Commander Clair Haynes, in charge of the public order policing operation in London, said prior to the rally that the Met was “used to delivering the sort of complex and large-scale policing operation that is required to keep the public safe.”
“We have a detailed plan to do so on Saturday,” she said. “The main focus of the operation is on the two protests in central London. We will approach them as we do any other protests, policing without fear or favour, ensuring people can exercise their lawful rights, but being robust in dealing with incidents or offences should they occur.”
Robinson Calls for Restraint
The “Unite the Kingdom” march began at 1pm from Stamford Street near Waterloo Bridge and headed towards Whitehall where a rally took place. Tommy Robinson, also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, organised the protest, which he labelled the UK’s biggest free speech festival.
He posted on X that it “wasn’t a time for riots.” “It’s not a time for violence,” Mr Robinson said. “It’s a time where you come and you stand proudly for your country. This is an imperative message and an important message: we have to control ourselves.”
Despite his calls for peaceful protest, the Met reported “unacceptable violence” from attendees, with at least nine arrests made and more expected.
Counter-Protest March
A counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Racism set off from Russell Square and headed to the northern end of Whitehall via Aldwych and the Strand. The march was led by hundreds of women, including independent MP Diane Abbott.
Barriers separated the two demonstrations, with a large “sterile area” created to reduce the risk of clashes. However, Unite the Kingdom protesters repeatedly attempted to breach these barriers, leading to confrontations with police.
Charlie Kirk Tributes
The rally comes just days after the assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Robinson had used Kirk’s death to mobilise support for the event, with some attendees carrying signs reading “RIP Charlie Kirk.”
“In honour of @charliekirk11 & in honour of freedom on the 13th we march,” Robinson had written on X before the event. Hundreds of people attended a vigil in London on Friday night to mourn Kirk.
High-Profile Speakers
The event featured speeches from several controversial figures, including Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, commentator Katie Hopkins, and Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson. A lawmaker from Germany’s far-right AfD party was also in the lineup.
Participants in the “Unite the Kingdom” march carried the St George’s red-and-white flag of England and the Union Jack, chanting “we want our country back.” Some supporters held signs saying “stop the boats,” “send them home,” and “enough is enough, save our children.”
Crowd Control Challenges
At one point, the crowd stretched from Big Ben across the River Thames and around the corner beyond Waterloo station, a distance of three-quarters of a mile. A livestream of the event on Robinson’s X account was watched by more than 300,000 people by midday.
Police had to use batons and riot shields to push back thousands of Robinson supporters gathered at the top of Whitehall and Trafalgar Square. Beer cans were thrown and officers were seen stamping out flares in the metres-wide gap between the two protest groups.
The Met said strict conditions under the Public Order Act had been imposed to control where and when protests took place, with the Stand Up To Racism event ending at 4pm and Robinson’s rally scheduled to finish at 6pm.
Despite concerns about safety, particularly for London’s Muslim communities given what police described as a “record of anti-Muslim rhetoric and incidents of offensive chanting by a minority at previous marches,” the Met had urged all Londoners to go about their day as normal.
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