Tens of thousands of demonstrators filled central London on Saturday in two separate processions - one opposing high levels of immigration and another in support of Palestinians commemorating Nakba Day. The city’s police force deployed roughly 4,000 officers, bolstered by reinforcements from beyond the capital, and warned it would make "the most assertive possible use of our powers" as part of what it termed its biggest public order operation in years.
Authorities said that by 1200 GMT, shortly after both marches began, they had arrested 11 people on a range of offences. Earlier public statements from police had forecast a turnout of at least 80,000 people for the events.
Unite the Kingdom march - organisers and participants
The anti-immigration demonstration took place under the banner Unite the Kingdom and was organised by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, commonly known as Tommy Robinson. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday accused the march organisers of "peddling hate and division, plain and simple".
In advance of the rally, the government barred 11 individuals it described as "foreign far-right agitators" from entering Britain to address the protest. Supporters of Robinson assembled in central London waving mainly British and English flags. Some chanted abuse directed at Mr. Starmer.
Speaking at the rally, a supporter named Allison Parr said, "I think that too much migration, not migration, but too much migration, is causing a lot of problems, upsetting a delicate balance here," and also criticised net-zero environmental policies.
The article of immigration figures referenced during public debate noted that annual net migration approached 900,000 in 2022 and 2023, before falling to around 200,000 last year following tighter work visa rules. Concerns about immigration - including the arrival of asylum seekers on small boats - have been cited as weighing on Mr. Starmer’s popularity and as a factor in the rise of the right-wing Reform UK party; Reform UK’s leader, Nigel Farage, has publicly distanced himself from Robinson.
Robinson, who has previous convictions for offences including assault and stalking, had urged his supporters earlier in the week to behave peacefully while promoting the event as "the greatest patriotic display the world has ever seen". The organiser travelled to the United States earlier this year, where he met a State Department official and addressed supporters about what he described as "the dangers of Islam" and "the Islamification of Great Britain".
Police pointed to a prior demonstration led by Robinson in September, which they said drew about 150,000 people and featured a video message from a U.S. tech billionaire. Following that event, more than 20 people were arrested and police reported they were still seeking in excess of 50 suspects related to offences at that gathering.
Pro-Palestinian march - Nakba Day commemorations and counter-demonstration
Close by, a separate pro-Palestinian march marked Nakba Day, the Arabic term for "catastrophe" that refers to Palestinians’ loss of land in the 1948 war that followed the creation of Israel. The march also attracted people who opposed the Unite the Kingdom rally and was characterised by a predominance of Palestinian flags.
Police officials noted a recent pattern of repeated large pro-Palestinian demonstrations - 33 since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023 - and said this sequence of events had left many Jewish residents feeling intimidated and reluctant to enter central London. The capital has also recently experienced a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites and, in a separate incident last month, two Jewish men were stabbed in an episode being treated as terrorism.
Officers said they routinely arrest individuals at large demonstrations for offences including racially and religiously aggravated public order crimes, inciting racial hatred, or supporting proscribed organisations. Government officials warned that police would arrest protesters who chanted phrases such as "globalise the intifada", a slogan that many British Jews view as incitement to antisemitism. On Saturday, some demonstrators chanted "Death to the IDF", a reference to the Israeli army, language police said had previously led to arrests where it was deemed to be aimed at Jewish people.
Law enforcement and public order
Police characterised their presence as highly visible and proactive, aiming to prevent disorder and to respond swiftly to breaches of the law. By midday, 11 arrests had been made, with officers prepared to take firm action where public order offences were identified.
The deployment of about 4,000 officers - including reinforcements called in from outside the capital - reflected the scale of the policing operation. Authorities described the mobilisation as their largest such operation in years, signalling both concern about potential clashes and the strains such events place on policing resources.
Context and community impact
The twin demonstrations underlined ongoing tensions in the capital over immigration, national identity, and the war in the Middle East. Census figures cited in public debate recorded that 6.5% of people in England and Wales identified as Muslim in 2021, up from 4.9% in 2011. The events and the policing response highlighted persistent societal divisions and ongoing questions about public safety and community relations in central London.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation and to make decisions about arrests and policing tactics where they judge legal thresholds have been crossed.