Police compete with far -right demonstrators, arrests after more than 100,000 rally in London

A London march organized by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson attracted more than 100,000 people and became unruly on Saturday while a small group of his supporters clashed with police officers who separated them from counter-protection.

Several officers have been struck, struck and struck by bottles launched by people on the sidelines of the “Unite The Kingdom unit,” said metropolitan police. Reinforcements with anti-riot helmets and shields have been deployed to support the more than 1,000 officers in service.

At least nine people have been arrested, but the police said that many other offenders had been identified and would be responsible.

Police said Robinson attracted around 110,000 people, while the rival protest of “March Against Fascism” organized by racism had around 5,000 walkers.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the nationalist and anti-Islam league of English defense and is one of the most influential figures of Great Britain.

Look | How the British far right provocateur Tommy Robinson Stokes Chaos:

How the British far right provocateur Tommy Robinson Stokes Chaos

Tommy Robinson was accused of having used online disinformation to stir up anti-Muslim feeling, as seen in riots filled with anger through the United Kingdom this week. Thomas Daigle of CBC accounts for the eminent provocative of the far right for years and breaks down the motivations and influence of Robinson.

The march was presented as a demonstration in support of freedom of expression – with a large part of the rhetoric of influencers and several far -right politicians of all Europe aiming largely the dangers of migration, a problem of a large part of the continent is struggling to control.

“We are both subjected to the same process of replacing the great replacement of our European people with peoples from southern and Muslim culture, you and we are colonized by our former colonies,” said the far -right French politician Eric Zemmour.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of the X platform which has traded several times in British politics this year, was radiated by video and condemned the British government on the left.

“There is something beautiful to be British and what I see happening here is a destruction of Great Britain, initially a slow erosion, but quickly increases the erosion of Great Britain with an uncontrolled massive migration,” he said.

Robinson told the crowd in a hoarse voice that migrants now had more rights in court than the “British public, people who built this nation”.

The steps intervene at a time when the United Kingdom was divided by a debate on migrants crossing the English chain in overcrowded inflatable boats to arrive on the ground without authorization.

Many anti-migrant demonstrations took place this summer outside hotels housing asylum seekers following the arrest of an Ethiopian man who was then found guilty of having sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in a suburb of London. Some of these demonstrations have become violent and have led to arrests.

Participants in “Unite The Kingdom” March worn the red and white flag of St. George of England and Union Jack, the flag of the State of the United Kingdom, and sang “we want our country to come back”.

British flags proliferated this summer through the United Kingdom – during events and on the village lampposts – in what some have said, it is a demonstration of national pride and others declared to reflect an inclination to nationalism.

The supporters have held signs saying “Stop the boats”, “send them home” and “enough it is enough, except our children”.

At the counterpotest, the crowd held signs saying “welcome refugees” and “Smash the extrish on the right” and shouted “Stand up, Right Back”.

The supporters of Robinson chanted raw refrours on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, head of the center-left labor party and also shouted messages of support for the American conservative activist killed Charlie Kirk.

Several speakers paid tribute to Kirk, who was recalled in a moment of silence, followed by a bagpipe playing amazing Grace.

A demonstrator held a sign saying: “Freedom of expression is dead. Rip Charlie Kirk.”

The crowd at some point extended from Big Ben through the river Thames and at the corner of Waterloo station, at a distance of about a kilometer.

The marches had been mainly peaceful, but towards the end of the afternoon, the supporters of “Unite The Kingdom” threw objects during the Rally Rival and tried to unravel the barriers put in place to separate the groups, the police said. The officers had to use the force to prevent a closure of control of the crowd from being raped.

The counter-demonstrators heckled a man with blood on his face which was escorted by the police of the group of supporters of Robinson. He was not immediately clear what happened to him.

While the crowd was large, it was not far from one of the largest recent steps when a Pro-Palestinian rally attracted around 300,000 people in November 2023.

Robinson had planned a rally “Unite The Kingdom” last October, but could not attend after being imprisoned for outrage in the court for having raped an order from the High Court in 2021 which prohibited him from repeating allegations of diffuge against a Syrian refugee who continued him successfully. He previously served prison sentences for assault and mortgage fraud.