London: Tommy Robinson’s far-right march sees clashes break out, predictably

A mass rally led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson turned chaotic yesterday on 13 September, Saturday, as scuffles broke out between his supporters and police officers attempting to maintain order and separate them from a smaller counterprotest.

According to the Metropolitan Police, more than 100,000 people gathered for the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march, which Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – said was in defence of ‘free speech’.

Meanwhile, a counterprotest organised by the group Stand Up To Racism under the banner ‘March Against Fascism’ drew approximately 5,000 participants.

Tensions escalated when a group of Robinson’s far-right supporters clashed with police. Several officers were reportedly punched, kicked, and struck by bottles thrown from the crowd. Riot police with helmets and shields were deployed to reinforce the more than 1,000 officers already present. At least nine arrests were made, with police stating that additional offenders had been identified and would be prosecuted.

Robinson, a founding figure of the uber-nationalist English Defence League, remains one of the most prominent far-right figures in Britain. While the event was framed as a ‘free speech’ march, much of the rhetoric focused on anti-migration themes.

And the right-wing ‘patriotic’ protest was far from purely British.

“We are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture, you and we are being colonized by our former colonies,” said far-right French politician Eric Zemmour, who spoke at the rally.

Elon Musk, owner of the X platform (formerly Twitter), addressed the crowd via video link and criticised the UK’s migration policies: “There's something beautiful about being British and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain, initially a slow erosion, but rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration.”

Robinson’s own speech stated that migrants “now had more rights in court than the British public, the people that built this nation”.

The protest comes at a time of ongoing national debate over unauthorised migration across the English Channel. A recent wave of anti-migrant protests followed the arrest and conviction of an Ethiopian asylum-seeker for the sexual assault of a teenage girl. Some of those demonstrations turned violent, leading to further arrests.

The demonstrators at the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ event carried St George’s flags and Union Jacks, chanting “we want our country back”.

Signs in the crowd read “stop the boats”, “send them home” and “enough is enough, save our children” — similar to the ones seen at the Somani hotel protest weeks ago.

The counter-protesters responded with banners that read “refugees welcome” and “smash the far right”, chanting “stand up, fight back”.

The big picture

The surge in far-right demonstrations, such as Robinson’s recent ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally, reflects a growing backlash against progressive values, multiculturalism and inclusive immigration policies — fuelled by years of inflammatory rhetoric, political opportunism and economic inequality.

At the heart of the unrest has been the manufactured moral panic around migration. Despite official data showing that asylum seekers make up a small fraction of total UK immigration, right-wing figures continue to stoke fears of a so-called ‘invasion’, exploiting isolated incidents to demonise entire communities. Anti-migrant narratives have become a rallying cry for a disillusioned segment of the population, often driven by social and economic grievances that successive governments have failed to address.

Robinson and others have capitalised on this discontent, presenting themselves as defenders of ‘free speech’ and ‘British values’, while in reality pushing a divisive, Islamophobic agenda. The ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally was couched in the language of patriotism and civil liberties, but its tone — and many of its slogans — echoed the xenophobic undertones of Britain First and the English Defence League.

Of course, this rise of the far right is not occurring in a vacuum. Years of austerity, wage stagnation and a housing crisis have bred frustration, especially in post-industrial communities left behind by neoliberal economic policies. Rather than targeting the financial elite or structural inequality, far-right leaders redirect this anger toward migrants and minorities, offering scapegoats instead of solutions.

Moreover, the mainstreaming of far-right discourse, including through platforms like X, has given figures like Robinson a megaphone to amplify disinformation. Influential figures, including Musk, have contributed to the normalisation of these narratives under the guise of ‘free speech’.

Yet, not too long ago, a report by the Work Rights Centre warns that the UK’s post-Brexit Points Based Immigration System is putting thousands of migrant workers at risk of exploitation due to flaws in the employer sponsorship scheme. Titled ‘Systematic Drivers of Migrant Worker Exploitation in the UK’, the report highlighted how the sponsorship system, which ties workers to individual employers, severely restricts their ability to change jobs — giving employers disproportionate power.

Based on 39 case studies involving migrant workers, including those on health and care visas and seasonal worker visas, the research pointed to serious issues within the UK’s labour enforcement system, which it described as fragmented, underfunded and overly reliant on employers to self-regulate.

But back in London...

Interestingly, Robinson’s supporters also paid tribute to US far-right activist Charlie Kirk, who was remembered with a moment of silence and a bagpipe rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’. One sign read: “Freedom of speech is dead. RIP Charlie Kirk.”

At its peak, the crowds stretched from Big Ben, across the Thames, and beyond Waterloo Station — covering nearly a kilometre. While much of the march remained peaceful, police reported that later in the afternoon, tensions rose as ‘Unite the Kingdom’ supporters threw objects at the anti-racism counter-protesters and attempted to breach security barriers, prompting officers to use force to keep the groups apart.

Interestingly — if one can take such things as a gauge of the public temper — despite the large turnout, the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ event did not match the scale of November 2023’s pro-Palestine rally, which drew around 300,000 people.

Robinson had previously announced a similar rally in October 2024 — but was unable to attend after being jailed for contempt of court over breaching a high court order relating to libellous statements about a Syrian refugee.

He has also served time for assault and mortgage fraud in the past.