Eleven foreign far-right activists have been barred from entering the UK before a rally by Tommy Robinson supporters, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Robinson of 'peddling hatred and division'. The ban includes US anti-Islam influencer Valentina Gomez, Dutch influencer Eva Vlaardingerbroek, and Polish MEP Dominik Tarczyński.
Starmer, who met senior police figures ahead of Saturday's event, said: 'We are in a fight for the soul of this country... We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence.' He described the rally's organisers as 'convicted thugs and racists' in a social media video.
The rally, promoted by Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), is expected to draw far-right and Christian nationalist groups. It coincides with pro-Palestine marches marking Nakba Day and the FA Cup final. Live facial recognition will be used for the first time in a protest policing operation, and Public Order Act conditions have been imposed.
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally urged people to 'choose hope' during 'A Million Acts of Hope Week', a counter-event to rising hate and division. She said: 'There is far more that connects us than divides us. And when we choose hope we help build the kind of country we all long to live in.'
