Far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, addressed tens of thousands of supporters in central London on Saturday, urging them to prepare for the 'battle of Britain' ahead of the next general election. The rally, organised under the banner 'unite the kingdom', featured Islamophobic and ethnonationalist hate speech and flyers.
Police estimated the crowd at around 60,000, significantly lower than the 150,000 who attended a similar march last September. Organisers claimed millions took part. The Metropolitan Police deployed 4,000 officers and spent £4.5m policing the event and a separate pro-Palestinian demonstration. As of 7.30pm, 43 arrests had been made across both protests.
Robinson encouraged supporters to move beyond street protest and become involved in local politics. 'We have to get political, we have to get involved,' he said, urging them to join parties such as Reform, Advance, Restore or the Conservatives. He also led chants thanking Elon Musk for his support.
The rally had a strong Christian theme, with many protesters carrying wooden crosses and chanting 'Christ is king'. Others wore red 'make England great again' hats. Speakers included Siobhan Whyte, whose daughter Rhiannon was murdered by a Sudanese asylum seeker, who criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Campaign group Hope Not Hate described the scale of Robinson's movement as 'deeply worrying', noting that while turnout was lower than last year, the numbers still dwarfed anything achieved by the English Defence League. The group added that hundreds of thousands more watched the livestream online.
Two men were arrested near Euston station before the march, one on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and another for encouraging attacks on police. The government is understood to have blocked 11 foreign nationals from attending the rally.
