Two major protests are under way in London amid a huge £4.5 million police operation.
Tens of thousands of people have gathered for the Unite the Kingdom march, many waving Union flags, while protesters in South Kensington are carrying Palestine flags and signs reading “smash the far right” for the pro-Palestine rally.
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.
“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.”
Police earlier said two men who arrived in London to attend the Unite the Kingdom protest who were arrested in the vicinity of Euston station over an unrelated incident in Birmingham, police said.
The Metropolitan Police posted on X saying: “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.”
The Met later clarified one of the men was arrested in connection with the incident in Birmingham but the second was wanted for a separate offence which involved encouraging people to attack a police officer.
Chants of “Keir Starmer’s a wanker” and “we want Starmer out” could be heard on Kingsway from the Unite the Kingdom march and many protesters were wearing “Make England Great Again (Mega)” red hats.
Some protesters at the front of the march were carrying wooden crosses and chanted “Christ is king”, while others threw beach balls and drank cans of alcohol as they waited for the protest to begin.
Tommy Robinson called for crowds gathered for his protest to locally get involved in politics when he spoke on stage.
He said from the stage: “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.
Police engage with a person during the pro-Palestine march in central London (Zhanna Manukyan/PA)
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“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.”
He added: “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.”
Later he led protesters in chants of support for Elon Musk.
Mr Robinson said: “None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for one man.
“Thank you Elon on behalf of Great Britain.”
Other speakers included former Apprentice candidate Katie Hopkins, television personality Ant Middleton, former actor Laurence Fox and former Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen.
Siobhan Whyte, the mother of Rhiannon Whyte who was murdered by a Sudanese asylum seeker, told the Unite the Kingdom protest Sir Keir Starmer “failed my daughter”.
She said: “Keir Starmer, where do I even begin to discuss this abhorrent excuse of a leader of our country? He has failed us. He has failed my daughter, Rhiannon.
“I believe she will still be alive today if this disgusting excuse of a man had not been in control.”
Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, who claimed to have been banned by Sir Keir Starmer from entering the UK ahead of the Unite the Kingdom rally, appeared on stage via video link.
The crowd was told there were issues with the schedule and video links during the speeches.
At the pro-Palestine march, a large group of protesters carrying banners and placards reading “Bristol stands with Palestine”, “Stop Trump, Stop Farage”, and “Free Palestinian Hostages” gathered with many wearing keffiyehs.
People take part in Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)
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One protester carried a St George’s Cross which simply bore the words, “have a heart”.
Organisers of the pro-Palestine rally estimated at least a quarter of a million people attended, while the police previously estimated 30,000 would attend.
Labour MP Apsana Begum told protesters at the rally that the movement would not be divided by the “far right”.
MP Diane Abbott told demonstrators that those gathered faced a “common enemy” in the “far right”.
She added: “They are viciously right-wing, viciously racist, they are anti-black, anti-Muslim, and viciously antisemitic.
“We have to come together… to fight the racists, to fight the fascists, to fight the antisemites.”
Your Party co-founder Zarah Sultana told the protesters that Andy Burnham was “not an alternative” to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and “is another establishment politician cut from the same Zionist cloth”.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told supporters at the pro-Palestine rally in Pall Mall that Westminster needs a change in “policy” not “personalities”.
The Your Party co-founder, who was greeted by loud cheers from the crowd, 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.”
A woman was arrested after she appeared to refuse to remove a fabric face mask she was wearing at the pro-Palestine protest.
She was part of a group of protesters who were all asked to remove fabric and surgical face coverings.
A separate group, who were wearing orange jumpsuits with masks over their faces bearing a photo of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, were also asked to remove their masks.
Placards in central London (Zhanna Manukyan/PA)
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Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, posted a video on X from the protest in which he said: “Keir Starmer, the country’s awake, your days are numbered.”
In another he claimed there were millions in attendance but police estimated tens of thousands would take part.
He said: “This is the biggest event in British history. This is the moment, a turning point for Britain.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Kebede, National Education Union general secretary, said in a statement ahead of the protest “we’re marching today to show that we will not allow Tommy Robinson and the far right to divide our communities”.
Justice Secretary David Lammy said authorities would act “swiftly” if protests turned violent.
In a post on X on Saturday, he said: “The Unite the Kingdom march organisers are spreading hatred and division.
“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.”
A protester in central London (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)
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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.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the revised advice is designed to reflect “the changing international context” and follows separate guidance concerning the fast-tracking of hate crime prosecutions issued earlier this month.
The guidance tells prosecutors to take account of the wider context surrounding protests, including heightened tensions linked to national or international events.
Recent criminal cases have seen suspects charged after shouting “death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)” and “globalise the intifada”.
Director of public prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said “this is not about restricting free speech” and “it is about preventing hate crime and protecting the public, particularly at a time of heightened tensions”.
The Government has also blocked 11 foreign nationals described by Sir Keir Starmer as “far-right agitators” from entering the UK ahead of the Unite the Kingdom rally.
Those claiming to have been barred include Mr Tarczynski, Belgian politician Filip Dewinter, anti-Islam commentator Valentina Gomez and Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek.
Speaking during a visit to a Metropolitan Police command centre in Lambeth on Friday, the Prime Minister said the Unite the Kingdom organisers were “peddling hatred and division, plain and simple”.
Commander Clair Haynes also told the Prime Minister that drones would be used to monitor both protest routes for “potential clashes or flashes” while officers in Wembley would monitor CCTV feeds from the FA Cup final to identify supporters travelling towards demonstrations.
For the first time under official protest restrictions, organisers of the rallies will face prosecution as well as any speakers who break the law by using the events as a platform for extremism or hate speech.
Live facial recognition will be used for the first time in a protest policing operation, with cameras set up in an area of Camden that is not on the route of the Unite the Kingdom march, but is expected to be used by a lot of people attending the event.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said the policing operation will cost the force £4.5 million, with £1.7 million being used on bringing in officers from other forces to boost numbers.
