43 arrested as police separate rival protests in London
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London police arrested 43 people on Saturday during two massive, opposing protests that brought parts of the city center to a standstill.
The capital saw two major demonstrations happen simultaneously:
- A Pro-Palestine Rally: Thousands marched for "Nakba Day" to mark the historic displacement of Palestinians in 1948, joined alongside by a Stand Up to Racism counter-protest.
- An Anti-Immigration March: A far-right group called "Unite the Kingdom," led by activist Tommy Robinson, drew tens of thousands to protest against high immigration levels.
Heavy Police Presence
To prevent the two rival groups from clashing, the Metropolitan Police launched a massive security operation, deploying 4,000 officers to keep the marches completely separated.
By Saturday evening, police confirmed they had arrested 43 people directly related to the demonstrations. Unlike initial reports, officials later provided a specific breakdown of the arrests:
- 20 arrests were linked to Tommy Robinson’s anti-immigration march.
- 12 arrests were linked to the Nakba Day rally.
- 11 arrests were non-affiliated or stemmed from live facial recognition alerts.
The Metropolitan Police noted that while the day passed without large-scale riots, four officers were assaulted, and 11 total arrests were made specifically for hate-crime offenses (nine from the far-right march and two from the Nakba Day rally).
Political Reactions
The dual protests drew strong reactions from British political figures.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the far-right march ahead of the weekend, accusing the organizers of "peddling hatred and division, plain and simple." In tandem, the Home Office banned 11 foreign far-right speakers from entering the UK to attend the event.
Meanwhile, former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn attended and spoke at the pro-Palestine rally. Afterward, he posted on social media: "We are a mass movement for peace – and we are never, ever going away."
While police successfully kept the two crowds apart, authorities are currently reviewing CCTV footage and chants from the day to investigate further potential violations of hate speech laws.
