Police on alert as far-Right activists rally in central London
Supporters of Tommy Robinson led an offensive chant as thousands of Met officers worked to maintain the peace across the capital on Saturday.
Proesters supporting Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, shouted “who the f*** is Allah” and “Allah is a paedo” as they marched through central London in their thousands.
The Metropolitan Police said they were on high alert having identified numerous individuals in the crowd “associated with violent disorder”.
The protest, organised by the far-Right activist, marched from Victoria Station, down Vauxhall Bridge Road and along the embankment to Parliament Square.
Meanwhile, a number of pro-Palestinian activists were arrested after breaching police conditions not to leave the pavement where they had gathered around Jubilee Gardens on London’s South Bank.
Police had earlier banned the group of around 50 protesters from entering the borough of Westminster, “to prevent the serious disruption they have said they want to achieve”.
The protesters from the group Youth Demand were also told they could not go onto any bridge over the Thames or leave the pavement after they told police they intended to block roads and bridges.
London also played host to thousands of football fans on Saturday, as Borussia Dortmund prepared to play Real Madrid in Wembley this evening.
Threatening atmosphere
Outside the Tate Britain gallery, far-Right demonstrators issued loud boos and offensive hand gestures at the gallery-goers sitting on the steps nearby.
Chants of “we want our country back” rippled through the crowd, which was led on its march by Robinson and the former actor Laurence Fox.
Robinson was surrounded by numerous security guards wearing earpieces, although the nearest counter protesters were always at least 200 metres away. A red smoke flare was released during the march, but police did not intervene.
The crowd was festooned with Union flags and the flag of St George, as well as one supporting Donald Trump’s presidential bid.
Some of the flags had “enough is enough” written on them.
Numerous protesters wore “Make America Great Again” red caps, while a smaller number wore a variation saying “Make Britain Great Again”.
The police issued a statement saying: “Officers have identified individuals within the crowd who have a history of being involved in violent disorder.
“A number have football banning orders and are associated with hooligan groups from London and across the UK.
“There is also an element of the crowd previously well known for involvement in anti-lockdown protests during the pandemic and associated disorder.
“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.”
In Parliament Square, Laurence Fox made a five-minute speech to the crowd in which he accused the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, as well as the Met, of being corrupt.
He attacked trans ideology and “open door” immigration, ending by shouting “I want my country back”.
