Thousands gather for 'Unite the Kingdom' rally and counter protest

Thousands of protesters have descended on central London for a march led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, with a counter protest by anti-racism campaigners taking place. According to the Metropolitan Police, 1,000 officers have been sent to the protests, with barriers in place to create a sterile zone between the two groups.

Today, London stands up in defense of one of our most important freedoms, free expression,

Robinson wrote on X. As large crowds of protesters gathered near Waterloo Bridge ahead of the 'United the Kingdom' march into Whitehall, the streets were a sea of union jacks, St George's crosses, Scottish saltires, and Welsh flags.

The Met revealed that it had borrowed 500 officers from other agencies for the day, as well as police vans from Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Cornwall. Among the crowds were protesting a variety of slogans on the flags, including Stop the Boats, Send them Home, and Unit the Kingdom, and anti-transgender protesters were among On Wednesday, one man carried a massive wooden cross with the words 'RIP Charlie Kirk' written on it - the right-wing US activist shot dead while speaking at a university.

The rally is expected to feature speeches from US President Donald Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon and host Katie Hopkins. The speeches were held in Whitehall, where several hundred people had already arrived by early afternoon. They were carrying various flags and banners, and a band was seen performing songs about freedom and Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Around 500 protesters descended on Russell Square for the 'March Against Fascism' counter demonstration organized by Stand Up to Racism (SUTR). Demonstrators held placards that read: 'Women Against the Far Right,' 'Oppose Tommy Robinson,' and

The group will march into Parliament Square, just a few hundred meters from the Unite the Kingdom rally. MPs Diane Abbott and Zarah Sultana's speeches are anticipated. The Met revealed that it would not be using live facial recognition - which captures people's faces in real-time CCTV cameras - in its policing of the Unite the Kingdom march, ahead of the march. Including particular reservations among some in London's Muslim congregations ahead of Robinson's march, the group cited a

record of anti-Muslim rhetoric and incidents of offensive chanting by a minority at previous marches. Cdr Clair Haynes pleaded with Muslim Londoners not to change their plans or avoid central London, but to contact a police officer if they are concerned while out in public.

Officers will take a strong stand on conduct that is discriminatory or that crosses the line from protest to hate crime,she said.She said that police will act without fear or favour and asked protesters to be aware of the cultures they are passing through and that police should "be considerate of the communities they are visiting. The Met said the Unite the Kingdom rally had ordered the rally to end by 18:00 and the counter strike by 16:00, in accordance with when the organisers told the force that speeches were expected to end.