Supporters of far-right organiser Tommy Robinson called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be killed during a mass anti‑migrant march in central London on Saturday, footage from the event shows. The video, filmed among tens of thousands of protesters, records a man saying, "Keir Starmer needs to be assassinated, someone needs to shoot Keir Starmer," and an interviewer, former Conservative councillor and conspiracy theorist William Coleshill, replying that Starmer should be tried before being "lawfully executed." The footage has provoked widespread online condemnation and calls for the protester to be arrested.
Metropolitan Police said the demonstration, which organisers have said drew about 110,000 people, became violent in parts and that officers faced "unacceptable violence" while trying to control crowds. By early evening the force reported nine arrests after supporters of the "Unite the Kingdom" march assaulted officers and threw bottles, flares and other projectiles, a police spokesperson said.
The event was organised by Stephen Yaxley‑Lennon, who uses the name Tommy Robinson, and began at Stamford Street near Waterloo Bridge before moving to the southern end of Whitehall. A counter‑demonstration organised by Stand Up To Racism formed at the other end of Whitehall; the Metropolitan Police said about 5,000 people took part in the counter‑protest and that officers were working to create safe exit routes for those participants amid repeated attempts to reach them.
Police said they had to call in reinforcements, including mounted officers, after small scuffles escalated into larger clashes. Officers patrolling the route were struck by missiles and assaulted with kicks and punches, the force said, and at least some officers were injured. The Met described protesters attempting to force their way through police lines into so‑called sterile areas near counter‑protesters.
Social media users who viewed the video of the call for Starmer's death demanded rapid police action. The footage shows the exchange taking place among a crowd many attendees said had gathered to protest immigration; organisers and some demonstrators displayed Union flags and images of Charlie Kirk, the American conservative activist who was shot and killed while speaking at a university event in Utah earlier this week.
Speakers on the Whitehall stage included British commentators who referenced recent events in the United States. Laurence Fox, addressing the crowd, said he was praying for Kirk and urged action to defend free speech. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, participated in the event by video call and used his appearance to criticise the government for what he called a "rapidly increasing erosion of Britain," according to attendees.
Met officers said speeches and music on the Whitehall stage continued past a 6 p.m. cut‑off time imposed by police. At about 6 p.m. a line of officers stood beneath a tunnel outside Embankment station as men on a footbridge shouted and spat at them. Police said they had identified many more people who they believe committed offences and that investigations would continue to bring them before the courts, even if immediate arrests were not possible.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The turnout for the 'Unite the Kingdom' protest was too big to fit into Whitehall. Protesters left the route onto Victoria Embankment and sought to access Whitehall from multiple directions. When officers moved in to stop them they faced unacceptable violence. They were assaulted with kicks and punches. Bottles, flares and other projectiles were thrown. Nine arrests have been made so far for various offences, but many more people have been identified as committing offences. We will find them and they will face police action, even if it is not possible to do so today."
Organisers and participants characterised the event as a demonstration against immigration and certain government policies. Police and civic authorities cautioned that large, confrontational gatherings can quickly turn disorderly and reiterated that anyone who incites violence or commits assault will face legal consequences.
As evening fell, officers remained deployed across multiple locations in central London, working to disperse crowds and ensure the safety of counter‑protesters. The Met said it continued to face aggression and would pursue further enforcement action as part of ongoing investigations into offences committed during the march.