Anti-racism protesters have started to march towards a thousands-strong Tommy Robinson rally in central London.
The counter-demonstrators will end up in less than 400 metres from a ‘patriotic rally’ amid a heavy police presence and warnings from the Met that any troublemakers will be arrested.
‘Uniting The Kingdom’, which has been organised by Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – has seen thousands of people march from the Royal Courts of Justice to Trafalgar Square.
The march has been described by organisers as the ‘biggest patriotic rally the UK has ever seen’, and there were cries of ‘England’ and ‘Rule Britannia’ from those in the sea of British and English flags.
Less than two miles away in Russell Square thousands of counter-demonstrators gathered at a rally organised by Stand Up To Racism and trade unions to hear speeches from anti-racism campaigners as well as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
They have since set off on a march which will see them end up in Whitehall, less than 400 metres from the Tommy Robinson event, but separated by hordes of police officers.
Thousands of people have gathered in Trafalgar Square waving British flags for the rally
The Metropolitan Police has flooded the centre of Britain’s biggest city with 1,000 police officers to keep the peace, with roads closed and heavy restrictions put in place on those attending two of the rallies.
The force says the vast majority of its officers on-duty today will be tasked with keeping the groups, some of whom have diametrically opposed views, apart from each other.
Police have warned that despite leaflets suggesting the counter-protest march will finish in Trafalgar Square, this is not the case and the rally must end in Whitehall instead.
A St George’s flag with the words ‘stop the boats’ and ‘do it for our kids future’ is waved aloft in Trafalgar Square
British and English flags fly in the air as people at Trafalgar Square listen to a speech by Tommy Robinson
Vast crowds of people gather in Trafalgar Square to listen to speeches at the ‘Uniting The Kingdom’ event
A man waving a St George’s flag while wearing a Union Jack-themed top hat and waist coat stands in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square
People attending the event organised by Tommy Robinson gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice this morning
Many were seen waving British, English, Welsh and Scottish flags as they arrived outside the courts
The event, called ‘Uniting The Kingdom’ has been organised by former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, pictured at today
Among the crowd at the Tommy Robinson event is actor-turned-political activist Laurence Fox
A woman holds a placard which reads ‘Not Far Right, Just Right’ at the rally in Trafalgar Square
A demonstrator wearing Union Flag themed clothing waves an Israeli flag outside the Royal Courts of Justice
Marchers set off red flares outside the Royal Courts of Justice before the demonstration today
A man wearing only British flag-themed pants at Trafalgar Square
Three men chant songs as they arrive at the demonstration, which Robinson has said will be ‘biggest patriotic rally the UK has ever seen’
A woman with two British flags behind her smiles at the demonstration in central London today
A woman decked in British flag themed clothing including wearing sunglasses with the Union Flag on them gathers at the event
A British flag with the words ‘These Colours Don’t Run’ is held aloft at the rally in central London today
Tommy Robinson speaks down the camera while holding a microphone at this afternoon’s march
The ‘Uniting The Kingdom’ event, which has been billed as a ‘patriotic rally’ has seen people gather on The Strand, before marching to Trafalgar Square.
There was a sea of British, English, Scottish and Welsh flags, as well as people waving symbols of Israel, the former Shah of Iran and the military heraldry.
One demonstrator could be seen climbing on top of a phone box on The Strand in central London.
Other protesters held placards that read ‘Not far right, just right’, while a red flare was let off.
The crowd, which includes actor-turned-political activist Laurence Fox, were seen chanting ‘England, England, England’, ‘England till I die’ as they set off on the march.
Speaking on a live-stream as thousands of people gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Robinson said a ‘line in the sand has been drawn’.
He said: ‘This is the biggest gathering of patriots Europe has seen, and it’s happening in Great Britain. Get your people organised, unify your countries.
‘Enough is enough, a line in the sand has been drawn. We’re being replaced no longer.’
There were also anti-Islamic chants marchers as they walked along The Strand to Trafalgar Square.
When they reach the historic venue there will be speeches from the likes of Robinson and other members of the far-right.
A man with a Tommy Robinson tattoo containing the face of the far-right leader and three lions with the words ‘Tommys Lions Roar’ at the march
Large crowds of people gather at the Royal Courts of Justice before the march set off this afternoon
People waving British, English and RAF flags pose for a photo in Trafalgar Square this morning
A topless man with a large tattoo that says ‘England’ on his back, with a St George’s flag wrapped around his waist, stands at Trafalgar Square for the rally
People waving British and Northern Irish flags gather at Trafalgar Square ahead of the march
People decked in ST George’s crosses and waving flags included those from Israel and Ukraine sit on the fountains at Trafalgar Square
A man holding a St George’s flag scales a lamppost outside the Royal Courts of Justice this afternoon
The rally, along with a counter protest, is set to bring central London to a standstill this afternoon
The Metropolitan Police is keeping a close eye on all three protests taking place in central London today
The Met Police has also warned that the counter-protest will finish in Whitehall, not Trafalgar Square as some leaflets have suggested
At the same time counter-demonstrators are expected to gather for a rally organised by Stand Up To Racism and other groups, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace & Justice Project, will take place.
That rally will see protesters gather at Russell Square before marching down Embankment to finish at Whitehall, less than 400 metres from the the Tommy Robinson event.
Police have warned that they will keep members of both protests apart from each other and warned that leaflets claiming the counter-demonstration finishes in Trafalgar Square are incorrect.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, the Met wrote: ‘Some flyers online suggest the Stand Up To Racism march will finish in Trafalgar Square. This isn’t the case. There are conditions requiring it to finish in Whitehall.
‘We need to keep opposing groups apart to keep the peace. We’ll take action against any breaches of conditions.’
Before the march began protesters heard speeches from trade union officials and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Meanwhile, there will also be a march in support of Trans Pride, with LGBTQ+ activists travelling from Langham Place to Wellington Arch.
Counter-demonstrators gather in Russell Square this afternoon ahead of a march to Whitehall
Organisers have billed the counter-demonstration as an ‘oppose Tommy Robinson’ event
People waving Palestinian flags and holding banners reading ‘Oppose Islamophobia’ and ‘Smash Fascism & Racism’
This morning Robinson tweeted an image of Trafalgar Square before the rally, which is set to last until 5.30pm, accompanied by the words ‘Today is the day, it’s going to be beautiful’, adding that it would be the ‘biggest patriotic rally the UK has ever seen’.
On Friday he reposted a video which talked about his protest being about a ‘strength in numbers’ showing the establishment that ‘we can organise and do not like the way the country is being run’.
The counter protest run by Stand Up To Racism with the support of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and 11 other trade unions, Stop the War Coalition, Peace & Justice Project and Unite Against Fascism will set off at 1.30pm.
Stand Up To Racism organisers said: ‘We are stressing the need to come together and build once again the kind of broad united movement that can drive back the threat as we have done before.’
Samuel Sweek, of the Peace & Justice Project, said: ‘The rise of the far-right and fascist politics in Britain and across Europe is a cause of great concern for us all.
Police officers walk down Whitehall from Trafalgar Square ahead of today’s protests, with metal barriers in the road to stop the demonstrations mixing
Three police vans sit in front of metal barriers on Whitehall before the rallies take place today
Tommy Robinson tweeted that today’s demonstration would be ‘beautiful’ alongside an image of Trafalgar Square
Police have put barriers around landmarks on Whitehall ahead of today’s demonstrations. Pictured: metal barriers and traffic cones place around The Women of World War II memorial on Whitehall
Metal barriers have also been placed around The Cenotaph in Whitehall ahead of the rallies today
A rally organised by Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, will take place in central London today. Pictured: Robinson during a march to Parliament Square in London on June 1
There will also be a Trans Pride march at Wellington Arch less than two miles away on Saturday. Pictured: A person holding up a sign reading ‘Believe Trans Kids’ during a rally in Brighton on July 20
There is expected to be a large counter-demonstration organised by Stand Up To Racism and trade unions in central London at the same time. Pictured: A counter-demonstrator at a previous protest in London on June 1
Organisers of the counter-protest have billed it as a ‘Unite Against Tommy Robinson’ march. Pictured: A man handing out leaflets in Tolpuddle, Dorset, calling on people to join today’s march in London
‘The political establishment has allowed breathing space for hate and division in our communities, we must stand with those targeted by the likes of Tommy Robinson and his thugs.
‘We refuse to cede any ground to bigotry, racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia or any other form of hate they attempt to bring to our streets.
‘When the politicians fail, it is the people who must fight back.
‘That is why we will be marching on Saturday.’
Police have put a host of restrictions in place in a bid to keep attendees of these two events apart from each other, while roads across central London have been closed.
No conditions have been imposed on the Trans Pride protest.
The Met have warned that people who breach these conditions could be arrested or face police action.
Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove said: ‘This weekend sees a number of groups with opposing views assembling in central London.
The Tommy Robinson rally will set off from The Strand before moving into Trafalgar Square where there will be speeches
The counter-protest will see attendees gather in Russell Square before marching down Kingsway to Victoria, and then along Embankment before massing in Whitehall, less than 400 metres from the Tommy Robinson rally
The Met Police have closed roads in central London to accommodate the protests, with the areas shaded in purple, blue and green set to be particularly affected today
‘In response we are deploying a significant number of officers as part of a carefully planned operation.
‘Our first priority is to keep the peace to ensure that those exercising their right to lawful protest can do so safely.
‘We have proactively used our powers under the Public Order Act to manage the timings and routes of marches and assemblies, ensuring that the groups are kept apart.
‘Officers will intervene decisively to deal with any breaches of those conditions, prevent crime, and to respond to any other incidents.
‘Everyone has a right to feel safe and be safe in London. Those who abuse the right to protest in an effort to unlawfully intimidate others or to use hate speech can expect to face police action.
‘The police presence will be very visible and I would urge anyone out and about in London, whether participating in these events or not, to speak to an officer if they feel unsafe or wish to report an incident.’
