Central London saw rival demonstrations on Saturday (16 May) as supporters of the Unite the Kingdom rally and a separate pro-Palestinian Nakba Day march gathered under one of the largest policing operations in recent years.
More than 4,000 Metropolitan Police officers were deployed across the capital, alongside drones, mounted officers and live facial recognition technology. Police said both events concluded “largely without significant incident”.
The Unite the Kingdom rally, led by Tommy Robinson marched from Kingsway to Parliament Square. The separate pro-Palestinian demonstration travelled from Kensington to Waterloo Place.
Key developments:
- 43 arrests were made across both demonstrations, according to the Met Police.
- Police confirmed four officers were assaulted during Saturday’s operations.
- The security operation reportedly cost around £4.5 million.
- The government said 11 foreign far-right activists were prevented from entering the UK.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government would act against “hatred and division”, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood reiterated that lawful protest remained a “cornerstone of democracy”.
ℹ️ Al Jazeera, BBC News
Follow on social media TikTok@tut0ughInstagram@tut0ugh Threads@tut0ugh X@tut0ugh YouTube@tut0ugh
tut0ugh 