British police detail arrests after far-right rally, counter demo

LONDON - London police said on May 17 officers arrested 20 people the previous day at a march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and 12 people at a counter-demonstration fused with a pro-Palestinian protest.

The city’s Metropolitan Police – which had already disclosed making 43 arrests on March 16 after tens of thousands people attended the duelling events – added 11 of those detained were either non-affiliated or their links was unconfirmed.

The force had mounted its biggest operation in years to manage Mr Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” march and the anti-fascism rally organised by the Stand Up to Racism group combined with protests marking Nakba Day.

It commemorates the 1948 displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel.

Police had feared clashes after violent confrontations at Mr Robinson’s last London event in September, when up to 150,000 people turned out, and various incidents at dozens of pro-Palestine demonstrations since 2023.

In its update on May 17, the Met said there were 11 arrests for hate crime related offences, with nine of those at the Unite the Kingdom event and two at the Nakba Day march.

“They included offences motivated by race, religion, sexuality and disability,” the force said, adding a further seven suspected hate crimes at the pro-Palestinian protest remain under investigation.

The other arrests at Mr Robinson’s rally ranged from public order and drunk and disorderly offences to suspects being held for previous grievous bodily harm and telecommunications offences.

There were two arrests for assault on an emergency worker and one for possession of an offensive weapon.

At the Nakba Day demonstration, the arrests included three for failing to remove a face covering, one for assault on an emergency worker and one for supporting a proscribed organisation.

Mr Robinson – a former football hooligan turned anti-Islam activist whose real name is Mr Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – had urged his attendees not to wear masks or drink excessive alcohol, and to be “peaceful and courteous”.

From a stage in Parliament Square, which featured various far-right and other speakers, he claimed to be spearheading a “cultural revolution” and urged attendees to get politically active ahead of “the battle of Britain” in 2029.

The country’s next general election is due that year. AFP