Reuters in London: On Saturday, right-wing, anti-immigrant protesters and anti-racism protesters began large rallies in London. A stepped-up police operation was closely watching the events to prevent any clashes.
The anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known by his pseudonym Tommy Robinson, organized the “Unite the Kingdom” march, which marched toward parliament waving banners that read “When will the government act for the British public?”
Meanwhile, anti-racism activists and labor activists staged a counterprotest with banners reading “refugees welcome” and “smash the far right.”
A police operation that brought in officers from all over the country, according to Deputy Assistant Commissioner Rachel Williams, was well prepared.
She stated on Friday, “We will have significant resources in place to respond to any incidents, to deal with any offences decisively, and to keep disruption to other members of the public and businesses to a minimum.”
At the end of July, the murder of three young girls at a dance workshop in Southport sparked days of rioting in Britain after misinformation on social media incorrectly identified the suspect as a Muslim migrant.
Hotels that housed asylum seekers and mosques were the targets of the unrest, which was characterized as racist and attributed to far-right thugs by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It came to an end after more than 1,500 arrests and approximately 1,000 charges were filed by police.
The right-wing protesters claim to be “patriots” and assert that migrants and Islamization pose a threat to Britain. Their critics, which include the majority of lawmakers, claim that they are made up of racists, supporters of the far right, and soccer mob members intent on violence.
Yaxley-Lennon was not present at the march because he is being held in police custody ahead of a contempt of court case that will be heard on Monday. He was accused by some politicians and the media of escalating tensions that led to the riots.
He was also charged on Friday under terrorism laws with not providing the PIN code for his mobile phone when he left Britain in July.
A message on his X account stated, “We do not care if you are black, brown, white, or green. What we care about are shared values, our culture, and the direction of our nation.”
The protests come as official statistics released on Saturday showed that 29,578 asylum seekers from Europe were crossing the Channel in small boats this year, which is a problem that has enraged many Brits.
