Two men have been arrested after an anti-racism protesters was attacked as counter-demonstrators marched through London against a thousands-strong Tommy Robinson rally.
The victim received a head injury was taken to hospital after the incident in Victoria Embankment Gardens this afternoon.
Police saying the pair – who are believed to have been part of the Tommy Robinson protest – had been taken into custody on suspicion of committing grievous bodily harm (GBH).
It came as counter-protesters walked to Whitehall, close to the scene of a ‘patriotic rally’ organised by the former English Defence League leader, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
‘Uniting The Kingdom’ – described by organisers as ‘biggest patriotic rally the UK has ever seen’ – saw thousands of people march from the Royal Courts of Justice to Trafalgar Square, filling the air with cries of ‘England’ and ‘Rule Britannia’, while some anti-Islam chants were also heard.
Less than 400 metres away anti-racism demonstrators have protested the far-right rally at an event organised by Stand Up To Racism and trade unions, with police warning that anyone who breaches restrictions or acts up could be arrested.
Meanwhile there is also a Trans Pride march in central London at the same time, with hundreds of LGBTQ+ activists descending on Wellington Arch.
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.
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.
As marchers made their way to Whitehall there were chants of ‘We are the people. We won’t be silenced. Stop the fascists. Now, Now, Now, Now.’
The Met Police later confirmed that two people had been arrested after a member of the Stand Up To Racism march was attacked on the way to Whitehall.
They said: ‘Two men have been arrested on suspicion of GBH level assault following an incident in Victoria Embankment Gardens where a participant in the Stand Up To Racism protest was assaulted.
‘The victim sustained a head injury. He was given first aid by officers and will be taken to hospital to be checked. ‘We are aware of some suggestions on social media that the arrests were related to the carrying of a flag which is not the case.’
On their arrival the campaigners gathered outside Horse Guards Parade where they continued to sing songs, with cries of ‘There are many many more of us than you’ directed towards the Tommy Robinson event.
One man holding a Palestinian flag who walked past the Tommy Robinson-organised protest was escorted away by police officers as the crowd booed, with some attempting to chase him.
Meanwhile, there has also been a march in support of Trans Pride, with LGBTQ+ activists travelling from Langham Place to Wellington Arch.
The ‘Uniting The Kingdom’ event, which has been billed as a ‘patriotic rally’ saw 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 from some marchers as they walked along The Strand to Trafalgar Square.
After reaching the historic venue they have heard speeches from Robinson and other members of his movement.
Talking to the crowd, Robinson criticised the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, calling it an ‘absolute disgrace’ and a ‘total attack on Christianity’ after it showed a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper featuring a drag queen.
He also railed against Islamic grooming gangs, calling them a ‘stain’ on Britain’s history.
Robinson also showed the crowd his two-hour-long documentary, Silenced, which is about a libel case he lost in 2021.
After the screening he challenged the authorities to ‘take him to court’, according to The Telegraph.
Posting on his X account, he wrote: ‘I’ll be jailed for two years for showing the inconceivable truth.’
He is already due before the High Court on Tuesday accused of contempt for making the film.
Robinson screened it at the rally despite the injunction banning him from repeating the claims made in it.
As he brought the event to a close, Robinson added that he hoped he had ‘turned a corner’ with the Met.
Nick Lowles, of Left-wing group Hope not Hate, posted: ‘Tommy Robinson is currently screening the film Silenced in Trafalgar Square, just 48 hours before he appears in the High Court accused of breaking an injunction preventing him from releasing the film. He’s heading to jail.’
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.
‘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.
‘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.’