Thousands of people gathered in central London on Saturday for a march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, while hundreds of anti-racism campaigners mounted a nearby counter-protest, the Metropolitan Police said.
Protesters carrying union flags, St George's crosses, Scottish saltires and Welsh flags assembled near Waterloo Bridge ahead of the "Unite the Kingdom" march toward Whitehall. Slogans on banners and flags included "Stop the Boats," "Send them Home" and "Unite the Kingdom," and organisers said some anti‑transgender activists were among those in the crowds. One man carried a large wooden cross reading "RIP Charlie Kirk," a reference made by some attendees to the US right-wing activist reported killed on Wednesday while speaking at a university.
Around 500 people gathered near Russell Square for a "March Against Fascism" organised by Stand Up To Racism, holding placards reading "Women Against the Far Right," "Oppose Tommy Robinson," and "Refugees Welcome." That group planned to march toward Parliament Square, a few hundred metres from the Unite the Kingdom rally.
The Met said about 1,000 officers were assigned to the day's demonstrations and that it had borrowed roughly 500 officers from other forces, with police vans on site from Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Devon and Cornwall. Barriers were erected to create what police described as a "sterile area" between the rival gatherings.
Ahead of the march the Met confirmed it would not use live facial recognition technology to police the events. Police also highlighted "particular concerns" among Muslim Londoners given what the force described as a record of anti‑Muslim rhetoric and incidents of offensive chanting by a minority at previous marches.
Commander Clair Haynes said officers would take a firm line on behaviour that was discriminatory or that crossed the line from protest into hate crime. "Officers will take a firm line on behaviour that is discriminatory or that crosses the line from protest into hate crime," she said, adding that police would act "without fear or favour" and urging demonstrators to be considerate of the communities they were passing through.
Tommy Robinson wrote on X that the demonstration was in defence of free speech. "Today London stands tall in defence of one of our most vital rights – free speech," he posted.
Police controlled movement in central London with cordons and deployed officers to prevent the two groups coming into direct contact. Aerial footage circulated on social media showed large concentrations of people around Waterloo Bridge and the approach to Whitehall.
The demonstrations come amid heightened sensitivities about public order at political rallies, with authorities balancing the right to protest against concerns about hate speech and public safety. The Met said it would respond to criminality and disorder as required, warning that behaviour that constituted a hate crime would be acted upon under existing law.
Both events were monitored closely by police and community groups. The remaining plans for the day included marches converging on central Westminster areas, with officers maintaining the protected separation as planned.
No major injuries or arrests were reported early in the demonstrations, according to statements from the Metropolitan Police, which continued to assess the unfolding situation and to provide updates to the public and media as the events progressed.