Cops arrest pro
Police arrested several pro-Palestine counter protesters as Tommy Robinson led a thousand-strong march through London against 'two-tier' policing.
Activists from Youth Demand today staged a sit-in demonstration in London at the central Jubilee Gardens to protest against Israeli attacks on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and demand an end to arms shipments to Israel.
Carrying Palestinian flags and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans in solidarity to those trapped in Gaza, hundreds of protesters began marching through the busy streets until they were chased and blocked by police officers.
When the swathe of activists arrived on York Road, some began a sit-in protest that blocked traffic, leading to a series of chaotic arrests.
The activists continued their chanting of pro-Palestinian slogans during their arrests.
London police intervene and arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a demonstration held by the Youth Demand group, that gather at the Jubilee Gardens to protest against the Israeli attacks on Gaza on June 1, 2024
Police officers push protesters off the road near Waterloo Station
Protesters were seen being dragged off the streets as they attempted a sit-in demonstration in central London
Police officers arrest a protester blocking York Road near Waterloo Station
Activists from the group Youth Demand marched in solidarity with Palestine as Israel continues its attacks on Gaza
Youth Demand said in an earlier statement that they would both hold a march and sit-in, and vowed when police asked them to move they 'will not going anywhere.'
When the swathe of activists arrived on York Road, some began a sit-in protest, blocking traffic, which led to a series of arrests
On X, formerly Twitter, London's Metropolitan Police said the protesters 'were already subject to conditions not to leave the pavement and a number of them have been arrested for breaching those conditions.'
Youth Demand said in an earlier statement that they would both hold a march and sit-in, and vowed when police asked them to move they 'will not going anywhere.'
'We must have the courage to say 'NOT IN OUR NAMES' and mean it,' the statement read.
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Images from the scene showed demonstrators being dragged and shoved off the streets by officers donning hi-vis jackets as the activists screamed and cried.
In one shot, a woman can be seen holding an orange Youth Demand banner while an officer grabs her shoulders and pushed her out of the way.
In another, two officers are seen pinning a man down to the ground while handcuffing him.
The chaotic demonstration came after thousands of Tommy Robinson supporters descended on central London today as balaclava-clad demonstrators flew the flag of St George and let off smoke canisters.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, organised the protest under the auspices of calling for the resignation of Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley for presiding over what he called London's 'two-tier policing' system.
The Met Police said they had identified people in the crowd who had been linked to 'football violence' and anti-lockdown protests.
Some demonstrators set off smoke flares and air horns as they marched down Millbank and a video appears to show a Tommy Robinson supporter being arrested by police.
The man who was wearing a grey Nike hoodie was led away from the crowd flanked by three police officers.
The protest led by 'Tommy Robinson' appeared to be calling for Sir Mark Rowley's resignation
Thousands of people packed into Parliament Square to watch Tommy Robinson's documentary, Lawfare, in which he aired his personal grievances with the police
Tommy Robinson (centre), whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, leads the protest march through London to Parliament Square
The Met Police said that two arrests had been made in the vicinity of Parliament Square - one for 'drunk and disorderly behaviour and assaulting an emergency worker' and the second relating to an 'incident where a woman was subjected to racial abuse'.
Several hundred metres away in Whitehall, a static counter-demonstration had been set up by Stand Up To Racism.
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Tommy Robinson leads thousands-strong march in London as balaclava-clad demonstrators fly flag of St George and let off smoke canisters as officers make first arrests
Speaker Zak Cochrane led chants of 'Nazi scum off our streets' and 'say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here'.
Others held placards reading 'oppose Tommy Robinson' and 'stop fascists and the far-right'.
Stand Up To Racism said in a statement its members would 'stand together against attempts to divide us'.
Barricades were set up to separate the square from Whitehall in order to prevent the opposing groups from coming together.
Several thousand people turned out to see Robinson's documentary airing his grievances against the police today.
The far-right activist said the event was about 'celebrating...our culture and values' while his Urban Scoop 'independent journalism' website said it would be a 'brilliant and peaceful pro British event'.
But a grinning Robinson led the procession carrying a banner bearing the face of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the slogan: 'This is London, not Londonistan'.
After the presentation, he aired video messages from conspiracy theorists, anti-vaccine campaigners and far-right activists, some of whom who spouted Islamophobic conspiracy theories.
Scotland Yard says some of the protesters have a history of being involved in violent disorder, while others are associated with what it called 'hooligan groups'. A 'number of people', the Met said, were drunk, with hours of the event left to go.
Police have also appealed for calm amidst the large number of football fans in the capital for the Champions League Final tonight.
People take part in a protest march through London, organised by Tommy Robinson, real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon
Groups from across the UK linked to football disorder are expected to attend the event the Metropolitan Police said
Protester with a small England flag sticker on his forehead joins the crowd as it marches through the capital
Protesters arrive in London for a protest march, expected to be heavily policed by the Met
Members of the public gather in Whitehall to protest against Tommy Robinson and The English Defence League
Robinson claimed his livestream on X, formerly Twitter, was being viewed by 542,000 people
Some members of the crowd set off smoke flares and air horns as they marched down Millbank.
At Parliament Square, Robinson took to the stage where he was applauded and cheered by supporters.
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Decked out in Stone Island, the 41-year-old was joined by actor Laurence Fox who told the crowd: 'I am proud to be British. The most important freedom of all is the freedom to speak our minds. We must protect our right to speak above all other rights.'
'British lives with British values matter too', he said. To huge cheers, he said: 'This is our country.'
A woman then sang a version of Emeli Sande's Read All About It - to which Robinson said: 'That's beautiful, mate.'
British right-wing YouTuber and former UKIP member Carl Benjamin called for the crowd to take a 'wholesome message to the British people'.
Benjamin is a one-time European election candidate who once told Labour MP Jess Phillips: 'I wouldn't even rape you'.
He said: 'We have real problems, none of the mainstream parties are going to solve these problems we are going to have to do it ourselves.
'But we have to remember the conduct of one depends the fate of all. You have to remember your dignity as an English man and woman is on the line and worthy of the respect of your ancestors.
'Those glorious ancestors of ours are watching and they want us to win and we have to win for our children.
'We need to take a wholesome message to the British people - we are going to do this.'
Robinson carried a banner bearing the slogan 'This is London, not Londonistan' - featuring an image of London's Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan
Counter-protesters from Stand Up To Racism gathered on Whitehall. Police set up barricades between the two groups to prevent them coming together
Police set up barriers on Whitehall to prevent protesters from each side from coming together
Police form a guard behind the barricades on Whitehall ahead of Tommy Robinson's rally
A man sells Union and England flags outside the Houses of Parliament as supporters of Tommy Robinson filtered into Parliament Square
Several thousand people are believed to have attended the rally - but the numbers are thought to have fallen away as the film screening continued
A man cosplays as an English crusader on Parliament Square after marching from Victoria Station for Tommy Robinson's rally
Observers say around 3,000 people are in attendance at the far-right event - at which the Met says it has recognised people with a history of being involved in violent disorder
Enthusiasm for Robinson's film appeared to wane as it ran on. At 3.13pm, the Met issued a message to those leaving the protest, advising them to head back towards Victoria Station as other avenues were blocked off.
Nick Lowles, managing director of Hope Not Hate, said in a tweet: 'Tommy Robinson's film is being screened but the crowd is thinning fast. Many of those who remain and talking amongst themselves... And there is still a lot of the film to go.'
Undeterred, Robinson said over 360,000 people were watching a live stream of the rally on X, formerly Twitter, adding: 'And the mainstream media thought we were finished.'
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Laurence Fox, the actor turned right-wing activist, later said '500,000 (are) watching live'.
However, view counts for live videos on X tot up the total number of views on the stream since it began, rather than the number of people viewing at any one time.
X's own documentation states that a 'view' is added when someone watches a video for as little as two seconds - and this includes 'autoplay' views when at least 50 percent of the video is in view on a user's screen as they scroll past.
Fox, who ruined his bid to run for London mayor after failing to fill out the forms properly, also claimed there were 20,000 people in Parliament Square.
But observers from anti-hate organisation Hope Not Hate said there were between 2,500 and 3,000 people on the march.
Former UKIP leader Gerard Batten also briefly addressed the crowd, as did Calvin Robinson, a games journalist turned online firebrand via video message.
Robinson was sacked from GB News after supporting Fox, who was suspended after saying of political journalist Ava Evans: 'Who'd want to s*** that?'
The Metropolitan Police said it had identified individuals in Parliament Square who have 'a history of... violent disorder', 'football banning orders' and 'involvement in anti-lockdown protests during the pandemic and associated disorder'.
It said in a tweet shared at 2.14pm: 'While there have not been any offences so far, a number of people in the crowd are intoxicated. The event still has a number of hours left to go.'
Robinson set off from Victoria around 1pm with a large group toting Union and England.
Scotland Yard said thousands of police officers had been drawn in to police the protests through the capital, with as many as 400 from forces outside London.
But their work has been complicated by pro-Palestine activists from Youth Demand, who vowed to block roads on Saturday. The group refused to tell the police where they intended to protest.
'Nine Youth Demand protesters were arrested for breaching Public Order Act conditions not to leave the pavement,' the Met said.
'The remainder of the group has largely dispersed but officers continue to monitor those still in the area.'
Anti-racism protesters voice their opposition to Tommy Robinson's rally in Parliament Square - from an area of Whitehall separated from the square itself
Flags wave outside of Victoria Station on Saturday as people prepare to march on the capital
Tommy Robinson pictured at the protest in London calling for the resignation of Mark Rowley
Tommy Robinson (centre), whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, leads a protest march through London to Parliament Square
Tommy Robinson speaks during a protest march at Parliament Square in London
Groups from across the UK linked to football disorder are expected to attend the event the Metropolitan Police said
Stand Up For Racism (SUTR) and other anti-fascist groups staged a counter-protest against Tommy Robinson
Counter protestors lined the route with signs declaring their intention to 'Stop the Far Right'
Officers said that they had arrested nine of protesters from activist group Youth Demand, who breached conditions not to leave the pavement.
The force accused them of attempting to 'cause serious disruption by blocking traffic' on York Road, close to London Waterloo station.
More than 2,000 police officers will be on duty on Saturday, policing the protests as well as the Champions League Final at Wembley and related fan events, the force said.
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TfL added that the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines were likely to be particularly busy as a result, forecasting possible station closures.
Some members of the crowd set off smoke flares and air horns as they marched down Millbank.
T/Commander Louise Puddefoot, leading the operation this weekend, said: 'Officers have been in discussion with the organisers of both protests in recent weeks.
'Our priority is to ensure those exercising their right to lawful protest, both in the main march and as part of the counter protest, can do so safely.
'Officers will police these demonstrations, as they always do, without fear or favour - keeping participants and the wider public safe, and responding decisively to criminal offences and any attempt to cause serious disruption.
'While we are grateful to the main organiser of the protest for comments he has made publicly discouraging violence on Saturday, we do have concerns about the number of those believed to be attending who have links to football disorder.
'When these groups have come together at previous protests we have regrettably seen violence directed at officers.
'This precedent unavoidably plays a part in shaping the policing approach, including the number and nature of resources allocated to police this particular protest.'
Conditions remain in place for the procession to move along the pre-agreed route from Vauxhall Bridge Road onto Millbank, through Abingdon Square and onto Parliament Square.
'They're not to enter the borough of Westminster, not to go onto any bridge over the Thames and not to go onto the pavement. This is to prevent the serious disruption they have said they want to achieve,' the Met wrote on Twitter/X.
A young man sets off a red flare as he joins the far-right protest in central London
Laurence Fox speaks during a protest march at Parliament Square, organised by Tommy Robinson
Protesters wave St George's flags outside Parliament as they march in support of Tommy Robinson
Tommy Robinson speaks, as people attend a protest in London
Supporters of Tommy Robinson wave Union Jack and England flags as they wait to march
The streets were filled with protestors joining the march decked out in Union Jacks
Tommy Robinson protest sets off from Victoria to Parliament Square
At the march on Saturday, Robinson's group displayed banners calling for the removal of Met Commissioner Mark Rowley from his role.
A statement on an affiliated petition claimed to oppose biased policing practices' while 'demanding accountability from those in power'. The petition does not declare how many people have signed it.
A third protest, 'likely smaller in size and unrelated to the above events' is also expected to take place on Saturday afternoon, organised by Youth Demand, a group protesting the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
They have said in public statements that they intend to occupy roads and bridges.
T/Commander Puddefoot said: 'This group has made no secret of their intentions. They have indicated that they will go beyond what can be considered lawful protest, instead trying to cause serious disruption to communities by blocking roads and the bridges that are essential for keeping traffic moving across London.'
'Regrettably they have not engaged with us ahead of this event,' a statement continued.
'Protest organisers do have an obligation to inform the police of their intent to hold a protest, allowing us to plan accordingly, but Youth Demand are one of those groups who don't engage.
'If they did we would reiterate to them that we will of course respect their right to protest, but not to cause serious disruption.
'Officers will be deployed to respond to any action taken. They will use all the relevant powers available to them, including the imposition of conditions.'
Another pro-Palestine protest in the Finchley area of north London did not go ahead after 'around 10 people' turned up before going to join another protest elsewhere, the Met said.