Thousands descend on London for far-right and pro-Palestine marches – live
4,000 officers on duty in London for large scale far-right and pro-Palestine protests
The Metropolitan police is preparing for what it described as potentially “one of the busiest days for policing in recent years” as tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on central London for two major demonstrations.
Armoured vehicles, horses, dogs, drones and helicopters will be deployed along with 4,000 officers to police the far-right Unite the Kingdom (UTK) rally organised by Stephen Yaxley Lennon, otherwise known as Tommy Robinson.
The Guardian understands officers will be granted extra powers to carry out a stop and search without requiring suspicion of an offence, which will also apply to the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally taking place in a separate location to the UTK march.
At the same time, tens of thousands of football fans are expected at Wembley stadium for the FA Cup final.
For the first time at a demonstration, police will use live recognition cameras and organisers will be held personally responsible for the behaviour of the speakers they invite.
Deputy assistant commissioner James Harman said the “unprecedented” operation could cost the force £4.5m, adding that today “has the potential to be one of the busiest days for policing in London in recent years”.
Police estimate that about 50,000 people will attend the UTK rally, while the pro-Palestine march is expected to draw between 15,000 and 40,000 peope. The UTK rally last September overwhelmed expectations after more than 150,000 people flooded Parliament Square in Westminster.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said the rise of the far right represents “a fight for the soul of this country”, adding: “The Unite the Kingdom march this weekend is a stark reminder of exactly what we are up against. Its organisers are peddling hatred and division, plain and simple.”
The Guardian’s police and crime correspondent, Vikram Dodd, has the full report here:
Key events
Nick Lowles, director of the anti-fascist campaign group Hope Not Hate, has shared a poll on Tommy Robinson’s popularity this morning as the far-right leader’s Unite the Kingdom rally gathers pace.
According to a poll of 45,000 people conducted by Hope Not Hate, 17% of British people like Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. This rose to 34% among men aged between 25 and 34.
In a post on X, Lowles said: “Obviously a lot more people disliked him, but his reach and support is like nothing we have seen before.
“Some people might question why I post this, it is simple. Unless we are honest about what we are up against, then we will not properly be able to find ways to counter him – especially amongst those people who are slightly attracted to him but who can be persuaded otherwise.”
Unite the Kingdom rally organisers ‘spreading hatred and division’, says Lammy
Justice secretary David Lammy said the organisers of the Unite the Kingdom rally taking place today “are spreading hatred and division”.
Writing on X, he added: “They do not reflect the Britain I’m proud of.
“Peaceful protest is a fundamental right and one I will always protect. But if protest turns violent, we will act swiftly, with extra court capacity in place.”
We have some early images on the newswires of demonstrators gathering in Kingsway in central London for Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rally:
Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan police, used a separate article in The Muslim News, a UK-based outlet, to insist that both protests are being policed on exactly the same basis, under the same legal framework, with similar conditions and timings and the same expectations.
Pointing out that specific conditions relating to speakers at both protests had been introduced for the first time, he said: “These place a responsibility on organisers to ensure that those they invite do not use these events as a platform for unlawful extremism or hate speech. Where this happens, both the speaker and the organisers will face consequences.”
Rowley added: “Our duty is clear: to protect communities, to uphold free speech and to police lawful protest without fear or favour. We will make arrests where we see anti-Muslim and antisemitic hate crimes.”
However, one of the organisers of the pro-Palestinian march today, John Rees, accused Rowley of being “reckless” with free speech.
“I think it is amazing that in the middle of a speech a police man will turn up on stage and arrest somebody for saying something,” Rees told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“If you are anyone in this country who is concerned about civil liberties and freedom of speech then I think we are going to a very dark place when that happens.”
Rees accused the police of allowing Tommy Robinson to “take over” the entirety of the area around Whitehall, the governmental district of London, after he had chosen today in a deliberately provocative way to ensure both protests coincided.
Strict conditions on the timings and the routes of both demonstrations are in place.
Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march will begin in Kingsway and move along the Strand before ending in Parliament Square. Crowds are expected to gather for the rally from 11am.
Meanwhile the annual pro-Palestine Nakba Day march begins at noon in Exhibition Road in Kensington before heading to Waterloo Place and finishing in Pall Mall.
British Palestinians feel ‘gaslit’ and unable to speak out, says leading activist
British Palestinians feel unable to speak openly about Israel’s war on Gaza, the director of the British Palestinian Committee has said, amid what campaigners believe is a growing climate of hostility around Palestinian identity and activism in the UK.
Some were afraid to wear Palestinian symbols at work or display Arabic jewellery and keffiyehs in public, Sara Husseini said.
“We have many documented reports of Palestinians and allies being silenced or punished for wearing Palestinian symbols, watermelon pins, or speaking about the genocide,” she said. “Many colleagues across all kinds of sectors feel they are being gaslit while friends and families are being massacred back home.”
Speaking before Saturday’s national march in London commemorating the 78th anniversary of the Nakba (“catastrophe”) – the displacement of at least 700,000 Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948 – Husseini said many Palestinians felt they were being treated not as victims of mass suffering, but as suspects whose grief had become politicised.
“Cruelty is the word I would use, particularly for colleagues who are from Gaza or have family there, knowing these atrocities are being inflicted on their loved ones day in, day out,” Husseini said.
“And then being effectively told: not only are we not going to acknowledge that this is happening to you, we’re going to disbelieve you, interrogate you, stop you from speaking about it, and if you do speak, we’re going to paint you as the problem.”
Read more here:
Keir Starmer has described the far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson and others organising a major rally in London today as “individuals with long records of violence and extremism”.
As tens of thousands started their journeys into the city today ahead of the self-styled Unite the Kingdom (UTK) march, the prime minister used an article published on the website of LBC radio to again condemn Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
“Their goal is to inflame and divide. And they are seeking the support of far-right agitators around the world to make that happen,” wrote Starmer, whose government has blocked 11 people, including a Polish far-right MEP, from coming to Britain ahead of the event.
“I refuse to stand by and allow that poison to be imported into the UK,” he added.
It emerged on Friday that another of those banned from coming to UK is Ezra Levant, a long time Canadian supporter of Robinson, who has been involved in the activist’s reinvention of himself as an online influencer and self-styled journalist.
Starmer used the same article to also issue a warning to those taking part in the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally, which is also taking place today along a different route in London.
Prosecutors have been told to consider whether protest placards, banners and chants viewed on social media may amount to offences of stirring up hatred during the rallies.
The new guidance, issued before what police have described as an “unprecedented” security operation, urges prosecutors to assess whether slogans, symbols or chants may influence audiences online if they are filmed and shared.
Starmer wrote: “The cause of a Palestinian state is just and, alongside a safe and secure Israel, one that is recognised by this government.
“But on marches that support that cause, it is not hard to find individuals who abuse it to spread antisemitism and intimidate Jewish communities. And this is taking place against the backdrop of a deeply worrying rise in antisemitic incidents – including terrorist attacks. The end result is that British Jews feel unsafe in their own streets.”
4,000 officers on duty in London for large scale far-right and pro-Palestine protests
The Metropolitan police is preparing for what it described as potentially “one of the busiest days for policing in recent years” as tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on central London for two major demonstrations.
Armoured vehicles, horses, dogs, drones and helicopters will be deployed along with 4,000 officers to police the far-right Unite the Kingdom (UTK) rally organised by Stephen Yaxley Lennon, otherwise known as Tommy Robinson.
The Guardian understands officers will be granted extra powers to carry out a stop and search without requiring suspicion of an offence, which will also apply to the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally taking place in a separate location to the UTK march.
At the same time, tens of thousands of football fans are expected at Wembley stadium for the FA Cup final.
For the first time at a demonstration, police will use live recognition cameras and organisers will be held personally responsible for the behaviour of the speakers they invite.
Deputy assistant commissioner James Harman said the “unprecedented” operation could cost the force £4.5m, adding that today “has the potential to be one of the busiest days for policing in London in recent years”.
Police estimate that about 50,000 people will attend the UTK rally, while the pro-Palestine march is expected to draw between 15,000 and 40,000 peope. The UTK rally last September overwhelmed expectations after more than 150,000 people flooded Parliament Square in Westminster.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said the rise of the far right represents “a fight for the soul of this country”, adding: “The Unite the Kingdom march this weekend is a stark reminder of exactly what we are up against. Its organisers are peddling hatred and division, plain and simple.”
The Guardian’s police and crime correspondent, Vikram Dodd, has the full report here:
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