Pro-Palestine march comes face-to-face with anti-immigration protest in London – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

London police have confirmed 43 arrests following two large-scale, separate demonstrations that moved through the capital on Sunday. The marches, which drew tens of thousands of participants, included an anti-immigration rally and a pro-Palestinian march marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba.

Security measures and government interventions

In anticipation of the demonstrations, the UK government barred 11 “foreign far-right agitators” from entering the country. These individuals, which included certain MEPs and far-right influencers, were prevented from participating in the scheduled rallies.

To manage the dual protests, the Metropolitan Police deployed 4,000 officers, including reinforcements brought in from outside the capital. Authorities described the mobilization as their largest public order operation in several years.

Rival demonstrations in central London

One of the protests, organized as the “Unite the Kingdom” march, focused on high levels of immigration and what organizers described as an Islamic threat to British identity. The rally was organized by anti-Islam activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, who has convictions for stalking and assault. During the rally, Robinson addressed the crowd, telling tens of thousands of attendees to prepare for a “battle of Britain.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the organizers of the anti-immigration march on Friday, accusing them of “peddling hate and division, plain and simple.”

Concurrently, demonstrators from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign held a march to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, marking the loss of Palestinian land in 1948. Participants carried Palestinian flags and placards throughout central London to observe the anniversary.

Following the conclusion of both marches, police reported that the events were “largely without significant incident.”