Thousands marched in central London on Saturday in a “Unite the Kingdom” rally organised by anti-Islamist activist Tommy Robinson while former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke at a a counter protest.
The Metropolitan Police approved different routes to keep the two groups separate and deployed around 1,000 officers to police the two rallies as well as a trans pride event.
Mr. Robinson’s march began at the Royal Courts of Justice at lunchtime and was followed followed by a rally in Trafalgar Square.
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.”
Meanwhile, a counter-protest by Stand Up To Racism and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace & Justice Project marched from Russell Square and to a rally in Whitehall.
It was supported by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and 11 trade unions, as well as groups such as Stop the War Coalition, Peace & Justice Project, and Unite Against Fascism.
Demonstrators held placards reading “no to racism, no to hatred” and chanted “we won’t be silent.”
The afternoon has gone largely without incident. At 3:48, The Met said two men had been arrested on suspicion of grievous-bodily-harm level assault after a participant in the Stand Up To Racism protest was assaulted.
The force said on X that the victim sustained a head injury and would be taken to hospital for checks but has not given more details of the incident.
It rejected claims on social media that suggest the arrests were related to the carrying of a flag.
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 founder and former leader of the English Defence League 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.”
