A total of nine arrests have been made on Saturday during a Tommy Robinson rally, a counter-protest, and a trans pride event, the Metropolitan Police has said.
Thousands marched across central London on Saturday in a “Unite the Kingdom” rally, which organiser, founder and former leader of English Defence League Mr. Robinson described as a celebration of being British.
Meanwhile, a counter-protest was staged by Stand Up To Racism and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace & Justice Project and supported by trade unions.
The Met deployed around 1,000 officers during the day to “keep the peace,” and approved different routes to keep the two groups separate.
The events were largely peaceful. The Met said it has arrested nine people in total. Four were arrested during the two main rallies, four were arrested outside a pub after the rallies, and a member of the public was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a steward at a separate trans pride event.
By around 6 p.m. on Saturday, the Met had arrested two men on suspicion of grievous-bodily-harm level assault after a Stand Up To Racism protester sustained a head injury, one man on suspicion of criminal damage and a racially aggravated public order offence after he allegedly snapped a Palestinian flag and made a racially abusive remark, and one man on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and a racially aggravated public order offence after a police officer was kicked.
Later in the evening, a further four people have been arrested outside a pub in Whitehall on suspicion of assault on emergency workers after four officers were assaulted. The Met said no one sustained serious injuries.
The Met said offices are still investigating videos in which “racist and anti-Muslim” language was used.
In the “Unite the Kingdom” rally, supporters held or were draped with flags of the Union, England, Scotland, and Wales.
The crowd could be heard chanting “Rule Britannia,” “We want our country back,” and Mr. Robinson’s name.
One demonstrator was seen waving a flag of England on top of a phone box, while others held placards that read “Not far right, just right.”
Demonstrators at the counter rally held placards reading “No to racism, no to hatred” and chanted, “We won’t be silent.”
In a post shared on X ahead of the event, Mr. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, said the protest would be “the biggest patriotic rally the UK has ever seen.”
In a separate video, the controversial anti-Islamist activist called on supporters to be on their “best behaviour” in order to have a “fun-packed celebration of being British” while sending “some strong messages” to the establishment, and stressed that rank-and-file police officers are “not the enemy.”
