A London march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew more than 110,000 people and became unruly on Saturday as a small group of his supporters clashed with police officers who were separating them from counterprotesters. Several officers were punched, kicked, and struck by bottles tossed by people at the fringes of the rally, police said. Reinforcements with helmets and riot shields were deployed to support the 1,000-plus officers on duty, the AP reports. Twenty-six police officers were injured—four who were seriously hurt, including broken teeth and a concussion, a possible broken nose, and a spinal injury. The rally included remote remarks from Elon Musk.
At least 25 people were arrested for offenses including violent disorder, assaults, and criminal damage, and the investigation continues, police said. "There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence," Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said. "They confronted officers, engaging in physical and verbal abuse and making a determined effort to breach cordons in place to keep everyone safe." The "Unite the Kingdom" rally drew an estimated crowd of between 110,000 and 150,000 people, far surpassing expectations, police said. The rival "March Against Fascism" protest organized by Stand Up to Racism had about 5,000 marchers.
Anti-migrant theme: Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the nationalist and anti-Islam English Defense League and is one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain. The march was billed as a demonstration in support of free speech—with much of the rhetoric by influencers and several far-right politicians from across Europe aimed largely at the perils of migration, an issue elsewhere as well. "We are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture, you and we are being colonized by our former colonies," far-right French politician Eric Zemmour said.
Elon Musk addresses crowd: The Tesla CEO and owner of the X platform, who has waded into British politics several times this year, was beamed in by video and condemned the left-leaning UK government. "There's something beautiful about being British and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain, initially a slow erosion, but rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration," he said.
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- Robinson's speech: The activist told the crowd that migrants now have more rights in court than the "British public, the people that built this nation." The marches come at a time when the UK has been divided by debate over migrants crossing the English Channel in inflatable boats to arrive on shore without authorization. Numerous anti-migrant protests were held this summer outside hotels housing asylum-seekers following the arrest of an Ethiopian man who was later convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a London suburb. Some of those protests became violent and led to arrests.
- Counterprotest: Opponents held signs saying "refugees welcome" and "smash the far right." The counterprotesters shouted "Stand up, fight back."
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