The “Unite the Kingdom” protest organised by Tommy Robinson is underway in central London with speeches taking place in Westminster Square.
Sir Keir Starmer warned on his social media platform, Saturday as a ‘fight for the soul of this country’ as the met police has braced for one of the most significant policing operations in years.
The UTK March is taking place at the same time as a opposing pro-Palestine march today marking the Nakba, or catastrophe, of 1948, in which about 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homeland after the creation of Israel. The march also includes anti-racism counter-protesters to Tommy Robinson’s rally.
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better know as Tommy Robinson 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.
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.
The Met police started making arrests with footage showing a man, Raise the Colours leader Ryan Bridge, being handcuffed outside Euston Station while flag-waving protesters hurled abuse at cops.
The Met said two men ‘wanted on suspicion of GBH after an incident in Birmingham were a man was run over’ were arrested at Euston after they were spotted arriving into London to attend the Unite the Kingdom protest.
As of 1pm, the Met said 11 people have been arrested across both protests ‘for a variety of offences’.
Police estimate some 50,000 people will attend the Unite the Kingdom rally, which will end at Parliament Square, with a further 30,000 expected to join the annual pro-Palestine ‘Nakba Day’ rally which finishes at Waterloo Place.
Police are managing a so-called ‘sterile zone’ between the two marches. The Nakba Day march formed at Exhibition Road in Kensington, then go via Cromwell Gardens, Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, before ending at Pall Mall.
The rally will then take place at Waterloo Place – with organisers told speeches and music must end by 5pm, and the assembly by 5.30pm.
The Unite the Kingdom march started on Kingsway and moved through Aldwych, Strand, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, ending in Parliament Square, where Robinson gave a speech. Speeches and music must conclude by 5.30pm, and the assembly by 6pm.
