Tens of thousands of people gathered in central London for two rival protests held on the same day as the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. Approximately 80,000 attendees took part, with 50,000 at Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rally and 30,000 at the pro-Palestine Nakba Day march.
The Metropolitan Police deployed 4,000 officers to manage the events, including 660 officers from other forces. The operation was supported by armoured vehicles, horses, dogs, drones, and helicopters. By 1pm, eleven arrests had been made for various offences.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman described the scale of policing as “unprecedented in recent years,” noting the challenge of managing two major protests alongside the high-profile FA Cup final. With the UK terrorism threat level at severe, police operated under heightened global tensions to maintain public order.
Supporters waving Union Jack and St George’s flags gathered from 9am at Kingsway for the Unite the Kingdom march led by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson. The march route passed Aldwych, the Strand, and Trafalgar Square before concluding at Parliament Square. There, Robinson addressed the crowd, urging political activism ahead of the 2029 election. Police enforced Westminster’s public space protection order by confiscating cans of alcohol. Several attendees expressed frustration with Labour leader Keir Starmer and called for political change.
Among the arrests were Ryan Bridge, leader of Raise the Colours, and two men wanted for grievous bodily harm related to a violent incident in Birmingham. Police established a sterile zone between the rival marches and deployed live facial recognition cameras for the first time during a protest policing operation. Commissioner William Webster cautioned that this could face legal challenges.
The Nakba Day march, commemorating Palestinian displacement in 1948, started in Kensington and proceeded through Knightsbridge and Piccadilly to Waterloo Place. Some chants of “from the river to the sea” and anti-Semitic placards were reported. Police arrested a woman who refused to remove a face mask and requested others to uncover their faces to comply with instructions.
In response to the rallies, the government banned eleven foreign nationals from entering the UK prior to the events. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned division and pledged to protect a united Britain. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy promised that peaceful protest would be safeguarded but warned of swift action against violence.
Counter-demonstrators condemned far-right rhetoric, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood reaffirmed that hate and violence would face legal consequences. Downing Street emphasised that law-abiding protesters would continue but warned of strong enforcement against disorder.
Originally published by UKNIP.
