Police say 11 people arrested ‘for a variety of offences’
The Met said it has arrested 11 people “for a variety of offences” so far. It did not specify how many arrests were linked to the Unite the Kingdom event and the pro-Palestine march.
Police said earlier today two men were arrested near Euston station on suspicion of grievous bodily harm following an incident in Birmingham where a man was run over. They arrived in London to attend the United the Kingdom protest.
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People are stopping to shake the hand of a man in a suit and sunglasses. It is Nick Tenconi, the head of Nigel Farage’s former party, Ukip.
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Tenconi has said he wants to use the military to “round up and deport the Islamists, illegals and the communists”.
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One of Ukip’s recent controversies occurred in January when their new logo was likened to a cross used by the German empire and later the Nazis.
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The Metropolitan police has issued a correction on an earlier statement (12.10pm) about the arrests near Euston station this morning.
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It said: “One of the two men was arrested in connection with the incident in Birmingham where a man was run over as previously described.
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“The second arrested man was wanted for a separate offence which involved encouraging people to attack a police officer.”
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Outside Kings Cross station in north London, where protesters arrived on trains from around the country, police had set up large signs on lamp-posts declaring facial recognition was being used.
n “Police officers are using Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology to find people who are wanted by the police of the courts,” the sign read.
n A white Metropolitan police van was parked on a nearby road and surrounded by metal fences. Three cameras on a metal pole were pointing to the exit of the train station.
n The sign warned that anyone who passes by the system would have their “facial biometric data” processed, but that unless an “alert is triggered”, the data will be immediately deleted.
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Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, or Tommy Robinson as he’s known, called for crowds gathered for his Unite the Kingdom protest to get involved in politics, PA reports.
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He said from the stage:
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n
Are you ready for the battle of Britain? 2029 we have an election. We’re not asking anyone to go out and fight, but this is the most important moment in our generation.
n
If we don’t send a message in our next election, if you don’t register to vote, if you don’t get involved, if you don’t become activists, we are going to lose our country forever.
n
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He added:
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n
We have to get political, we have to get involved. I’m not going to tell you which political party you need to join. We’re a cultural movement. I’m going to tell you that you have to join a political party. I don’t care if it’s Reform, if it’s Advance, or it’s Restore, or it’s the Conservative party. We have to locally get involved in politics.
n
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The Met said it has arrested 11 people “for a variety of offences” so far. It did not specify how many arrests were linked to the Unite the Kingdom event and the pro-Palestine march.
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Police said earlier today two men were arrested near Euston station on suspicion of grievous bodily harm following an incident in Birmingham where a man was run over. They arrived in London to attend the United the Kingdom protest.
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Both marches have now set off from their starting points.
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As a reminder, the Unite the Kingdom rally began in Kingsway near Holborn while the pro-Palestine Nakba Day march gathered more than 3 miles away in Exhibition Road in Kensington.
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Here is the map of the two routes being taken today:
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Commenting on today’s policing operation in London, the Met Police said they had made two arrests near Euston station.
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A statement from the force read:
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n
Officers have made two arrests in the vicinity of Euston station.
n
Two men, wanted on suspicion of GBH following an incident in Birmingham where a man was run over, were spotted arriving into London to attend the UTK protest.
n
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Justice secretary David Lammy said the organisers of the Unite the Kingdom rally taking place today “are spreading hatred and division”.
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Writing on X, he added: “They do not reflect the Britain I’m proud of.
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“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.”
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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.
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Some were afraid to wear Palestinian symbols at work or display Arabic jewellery and keffiyehs in public, Sara Husseini said.
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“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.”
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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.
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“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.
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“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.”
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Read more here:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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At the same time, tens of thousands of football fans are expected at Wembley stadium for the FA Cup final.
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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.
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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”.
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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.
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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.”
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The Guardian’s police and crime correspondent, Vikram Dodd, has the full report here:
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Key events
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Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, who claimed to have been banned by Keir Starmer from entering the UK ahead of the Unite the Kingdom rally, has appeared on stage via video link.
He said: “He could ban me. He will not cancel you. And believe me, there will be a day I will be back.”
Neha Gohil
A man has been arrested in London after an incident in Birmingham in which a man was run over by a van after flags were removed from lamp-posts.
Officers arrested the suspect at Euston station near the meeting point of the “Unite the Kingdom” march. Another man was arrested on suspicion of encouraging people to attack a police officer.
West Midlands police confirmed on Friday it was investigating an incident where a man was run over by a van on Thursday evening in the Birmingham suburb of Stirchley.
A man in his 30s suffered a broken leg that required surgery. He remained in hospital after the incident on Thursday evening, police said.
A total of 31 arrests have been made at the Unite the Kingdom and Nakba Day protests in London as of about 4.30pm on Saturday, police said.
The Metropolitan police posted on X: “The rallies for both protests are ongoing.
“There have so far been 31 arrests across the whole operation.
“We will provide a more detailed breakdown at the conclusion.
“While this may seem high, to this point both protests have proceeded largely without significant incident.”
At least quarter of a million attended pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally, organisers say
Organisers of the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally have estimated at least a quarter of a million people have attended, making it “10 times bigger” than the Unite the Kingdom demonstration, they said.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told supporters at the rally in Pall Mall that Westminster needs a change in “policy” not “personalities”.
The Your Party co-founder said: “Whatever happens to Keir Starmer, I don’t know if he’s going to survive the coup, he should know about coups. I know about coups. I know what goes on.
“But I would say that if there’s to be a change, it’s got to be a change of policy, not the personalities.”
He added: “To those in Reform and the far right that do so much to attack us all and attack our communities, your hatred can succeed in dividing people, but your hatred will not build one council house, will not improve one hospital, will not teach one child, will not end somebody’s homeless life on the streets of London.
“The only thing that can change that is a change of economic, social, and international policy – that’s what brings us together.”
Oliver Holmes
There are flyers lying on the road where people are marching for the Unite the Kingdom rally that say they want to secure “a future for white people”.
The flyer says: “In a country saturated with degenerates, grifters and imported political enemies … We are a brotherhood of White Europeans who share the same values.”
The text says anyone can join their “vanguard” and they can remain anonymous.
Here are some of the latest images from the pro-Palestine march:
Oliver Holmes
The Unite the Kingdom march appears to be majority male and white, but there are a few families here and, very rarely, a person of colour.
Many people are holding crosses and signs related to Christianity. Some people are dressed as crusader-style knights, and one man held a mock medieval shield with a cross on it.
One flyer I’ve picked up says there is a “battle for Britain”, a country it describes as a “beacon of light in a dark world – a Christian nation built on truth, honour, and freedom”.
But there are also contingents of British-Iranian protesters who are waving the old Iranian flag. They are calling for the overthrow of the Iranian government and the reinstatement of the secular monarchy. This movement has found some common ground with sections (but not all) of the UK far-right, particularly anti-Islamism and support for the US and Israeli war on Iran.
Zarah Sultana, co-founder of Your Party, has told pro-Palestine protesters in Pall Mall that Andy Burnham is “not an alternative” to Keir Starmer.
“The establishment wants us to believe that change will come from swapping one Labour leader for another,” she said, according to PA.
“Perhaps Keir Starmer will be replaced by Andy Burnham, but let’s be honest, this is Andy Burnham, who voted for the Iraq war, an illegal war that killed millions of people.”
Burnham has been given the go-ahead to stand in the candidate selection process for the upcoming Makerfield byelection. He is widely considered one of the frontrunners to topple prime minister Keir Starmer.
Ukip leader Nick Tenconi spotted at far-right protest
Oliver Holmes
People are stopping to shake the hand of a man in a suit and sunglasses. It is Nick Tenconi, the head of Nigel Farage’s former party, Ukip.
Tenconi has said he wants to use the military to “round up and deport the Islamists, illegals and the communists”.
One of Ukip’s recent controversies occurred in January when their new logo was likened to a cross used by the German empire and later the Nazis.
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting is speaking publicly for the first time since resigning as health secretary this week.
Addressing a conference hosted by Labour-aligned political organisation Progress, Streeting commented on the Unite the Kingdom march taking place in London.
He said:
And what a day for us to have gathered. Today, Tommy Robinson and his followers are marching through the streets of our capital city. The last time he did, ministers were sent out by No 10 with a media script to explain the march rather than condemn it.
What we’ve experienced in our country in recent months is a type of racism that we haven’t seen on our streets since the 1970s and 1980s. Our country’s flags flown from lamp-posts and flyovers not as a symbol of national pride, but as a symbol of division, a message that those flags belong to people who look like me and not people who look like our deputy prime minister, our home secretary or our mayor of London.
Oliver Holmes
There are thousands of far-right protesters in London right now, and lots of the city’s residents and tourists are bumping into them.
One person who turned a corner to see a sea of St George crosses suddenly stopped in her tracks. “Fucking hell,” she uttered.
The far-right rally blocked off the street where the historic five-star hotel, the Kimpton Fitzroy, is located. A calm-looking concierge was giving tourists carrying heavy suitcases advice on how to get past the crowds to nearby transport.
On the pavement nearby, a man shouts out: “Tommy Tom Tom Tom Robinson.”
Many people on the march are drinking. Irish pub chain O’Neill’s in Euston Road was standing-only by midday. Another nearby pub, Mabel’s Tavern, had people sprawling out into the street. Both pubs were using bouncers.
There is a noticeable amount of drinking at the rally, which is mainly populated by men. Bins are overflowing with cans, and some men are walking along with pint glasses they took when walking out of a pub. One man comes out a small shop carrying an unopened bottle of Jim Beam bourbon whiskey. “What the fuck have you got?” his friend asks, laughing.
Hundreds of Unite the Kingdom supporters are at Parliament Square, the endpoint of the march.
Police issue correction over earlier arrests statement
The Metropolitan police has issued a correction on an earlier statement (12.10pm) about the arrests near Euston station this morning.
It said: “One of the two men was arrested in connection with the incident in Birmingham where a man was run over as previously described.
“The second arrested man was wanted for a separate offence which involved encouraging people to attack a police officer.”
Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, Apsana Begum, is at the pro-Palestine march, where she addressed a crowd of people at Pall Mall.
PA has reported some of her remarks:
We know that the far right marches because our solidarity with the Palestinian people threatens their cause … the one which is based on intolerance, hatred, and division.
But today, we march, Muslims, Jews, Christians, people of all faiths and none, from all ages, from all ethnic backgrounds, bound by our shared humanity and our just purpose.
We will not be divided by the far right.
We will not be silenced by any government, and we will not go quietly while crimes against humanity continue and are committed with impunity.
Katie Hopkins, the former reality TV star who previously compared migrants to cockroaches, told crowds at the Unite the Kingdom protest in a video message she was “so proud of you”, PA reports.
She said:
I want to thank you all for being at the Unite the Kingdom rally today, whether you’re here in London or joining us from overseas, welcome to Great Britain.
I want to say a few things to you, if I may. I see you, and I see our capital city, and it looks for the first time in a very long time like the place that I remember, and our capital city and a place that we can all call home, and I’m so proud of you.
Facial recognition in use outside Kings Cross station
Oliver Holmes
Outside Kings Cross station in north London, where protesters arrived on trains from around the country, police had set up large signs on lamp-posts declaring facial recognition was being used.
“Police officers are using Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology to find people who are wanted by the police of the courts,” the sign read.
A white Metropolitan police van was parked on a nearby road and surrounded by metal fences. Three cameras on a metal pole were pointing to the exit of the train station.
The sign warned that anyone who passes by the system would have their “facial biometric data” processed, but that unless an “alert is triggered”, the data will be immediately deleted.
Oliver Holmes
Far-right protesters have arrived into London through the capital’s major train stations in Kings Cross and Euston, and are walking south towards parliament.
Many people arrived with England flags and union jacks wrapped over their backs, some with “STOP THE BOATS” written on them. For those who did not bring their own, they could buy flags – or bucket hats with flags on them – from any of the multiple street sellers outside the station.
One seller is calling out: “Flags or hats, sir?” as men passed by. Dozens of police officers are standing around, and police vans were parked along the road.
Some protesters are stopping to take photos of a hot pink McLaren sportscar outside St Pancras, before heading down to the demonstration.
Many people are visibly drunk. A woman on the protest raised her middle finger to a helicopter overhead with a camera attached to it. “Hi,” she says. “Fuck off”.
Tommy Robinson has posted a video on X from his Unite the Kingdom rally, claiming it numbers in the “millions” and is “the biggest event in British history”.
Police have yet to provide estimates on the number of demonstrators today, but last year’s event in September is thought to have drawn somewhere between 110,000 and 150,000 people.
