More than 110,000 people attended a far-right protest in London organised by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, in what is believed to be the largest nationalist event in decades. The demonstration, billed as a 'festival of free speech', featured racist conspiracy theories and anti-Muslim hate speech, and led to violent clashes with police.
The Metropolitan Police reported at least 25 arrests and 26 officers injured, four seriously. Officers faced 'unacceptable violence', including being assaulted with kicks, punches, bottles, flares, and other projectiles. The scale of the protest vastly exceeded police estimates, causing tensions to escalate.
Speakers included Elon Musk, who appeared via video link to speak about 'the rapidly increasing erosion of Britain' and called for the dissolution of the UK parliament. French far-right politician Éric Zemmour told the crowd they were subject to 'the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture'.
The huge turnout meant attendees could not be contained within Whitehall, the rally's endpoint, leading to clashes. About 5,000 counter-protesters from trade unions and anti-fascist groups marched separately. The crowd, largely white, sang songs and chanted slogans including 'Tommy' and 'England'. Stalls sold books co-authored by Robinson.
Attendees expressed concerns about immigration and division. One woman from Merseyside said she was 'British through and through' and wanted 'our country back'. Another from south Wales said she attended to 'unite the kingdom'. Many denied the event was far-right, describing it as patriotic.
