Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday for two rival demonstrations: a far-right march organised by Unite the Kingdom and a pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally. The Metropolitan Police reported 31 arrests across both events by 4.30pm, with 11 earlier arrests for a variety of offences.
The far-right march, led by Tommy Robinson, drew an estimated 60,000 attendees according to police, significantly fewer than the 150,000 who attended a similar event in September. Organisers of the pro-Palestine rally claimed a quarter of a million participants, while police estimated up to 20,000. The Nakba protest concluded peacefully, with Parliament Square and Whitehall largely cleared by evening.
Two men were arrested near Euston station in connection with an incident in Birmingham where a man was run over by a van after flags were removed from lamp-posts. The victim, a man in his 30s, suffered a broken leg requiring surgery. Another man was arrested on suspicion of encouraging an attack on a police officer.
Nick Tenconi, former head of Ukip, was spotted at the far-right march. Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski appeared via video link, claiming he was banned from entering the UK. David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, condemned the Unite the Kingdom organisers for spreading hatred and division.
