Police estimate 60,000 at London far-right rally as government blocks entry to agitators
Metropolitan Police deploy 4,000 officers and spend £4.5m on security for Unite the Kingdom march and counter-protest; Justice Secretary condemns event for spreading hatred
The Metropolitan Police have estimated that approximately 60,000 people attended the second Unite the Kingdom march in central London on Saturday, a figure substantially lower than the 150,000 who participated in the previous year’s event. Despite organisers claiming that millions had gathered, law enforcement data indicates a decline in turnout for the rally led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, urged attendees to transition from street protests to formal political engagement ahead of the 2029 general election. Speaking from Parliament Square, he described the gathering as a turning point for Britain and encouraged supporters to join political parties, explicitly naming Reform, Advance, Restore, or the Conservative party as options for local involvement.
The event was marked by ethnonationalist rhetoric and the distribution of flyers advocating for a future for white people, which described attendees as a brotherhood of White Europeans. The rally also featured a significant Christian theme, with many protesters carrying wooden crosses and chanting Christ is king, alongside some wearing red Make England Great Again hats.
Justice Secretary David Lammy condemned the march for spreading hatred and division, stating that the organisers did not reflect the Britain he was proud of. The government had previously blocked 11 foreign nationals, described by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as far-right agitators, from entering the UK in anticipation of the event.
The Metropolitan Police deployed 4,000 officers, along with armoured vehicles, drones, and helicopters, to manage the march and a separate pro-Palestinian demonstration in Waterloo. The force spent £4.5m on policing both events, resulting in 31 arrests by 4:30 pm on Saturday. Police noted that both protests proceeded largely without significant incident.
Siobhan Whyte, whose daughter was murdered by a Sudanese asylum seeker in 2024, addressed the crowd to criticise the Prime Minister’s leadership on immigration. Polish politician Dominik Tarczyński also spoke via video link, claiming he had been banned from the UK by Starmer, while Katie Hopkins sent a video message praising the demonstrators.
Campaign group Led by Donkeys displayed a giant screen at the rally with the slogan Immigration makes Britain brilliant, countering the event’s messaging. The group Hope Not Hate noted that while the movement’s growth may have stalled, the scale of the protest remained deeply worrying, with hundreds of thousands more watching the livestream online.