Valentina Gomez

Arrests made as Tommy Robinson's far-right supporters rally in central London

Arrests made as Tommy Robinson's far-right supporters rally in central London Alex MacDonald on Sat, 05/16/2026 - 14:04 Anti-Muslim campaigner tells attendees of the Unite the Kingdom protest to get involved in local political parties Supporters of British far-right activist Tommy Robinson take selfies during a Unite the Kingdom march in central London on 16 May 2026 (Justin Tallis/AFP) Off Arrests were made as thousands of Union Flag-draped supporters joined Tommy Robinson's far-right Unite the Kingdom rally in central London. Attendees held placards criticising UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as signs containing anti-immigrant, Islamophobic and antisemitic messages. Alongside the flags of the UK's constituent countries, Israeli flags and those associated with the Iranian monarchist movement were also visible. Videos posted online showed attendees picking up wooden crosses to carry, while Christian nationalist slogans adorned some banners and placards. Some 4,000 police officers were deployed to police the rally, as well as both a concurrent pro-Palestine demonstration and the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Police deployed armoured vehicles, drones and helicopters, as well as - for the first time during a public order operation - live facial recognition cameras. Early on Saturday, police announced the arrest of two men near Euston station en route to the march. Supporters of British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, watch the speeches on screens (AFP) (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “One of the two men was arrested in connection with the incident in Birmingham, where a man was run over as previously described," the police said in a statement. “The second arrested man was wanted for a separate offence which involved encouraging people to attack a police officer.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, hoped to replicate the turnout of his September march, which drew up to 150,000 people to London and promoted a blend of anti-Muslim, white supremacist and Christian nationalist ideologies. Amnesty International described Saturday's gathering as a march that "brings racism, violence and fear to the streets of London". Among those speaking at the rally were former reality TV star Katie Hopkins and Sharon Osbourne, the wife of late heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne. Speaking at the event, Robinson urged supporters to get involved in political parties. "We have to get political, we have to get involved. I’m not going to tell you which political party you need to join. We’re a cultural movement," he said. Interesting to see different flags at the Unite the Kingdom rally including an Iranian presence in support of Pahlavi. “We want our King back,” on of them said to me. pic.twitter.com/DSD7J9zest May 16, 2026 "I’m going to tell you that you have to join a political party. I don’t care if it’s Reform, if it’s Advance, or it’s Restore, or it’s the Conservative party. We have to locally get involved in politics." Robinson, who has multiple convictions for offences such as violence, fraud and contempt of court, urged supporters ahead of the rally "not to wear masks" and "to refrain from drinking too much alcohol". In addition to domestic far-right causes, the rally also drew on a number of international political movements. Some attendees wore Mega hats, an English variant on US President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement, while others expressed support for Iranian monarchist leader Reza Pahlavi and the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The march is not affiliated with the anti-immigration party Reform UK, whose leader, Nigel Farage, has sought to distance himself from Robinson. However, it comes a week after the right-wing party made big gains in local elections. Ahead of the rally, the government announced that 11 "foreign far-right agitators" had been barred from entering the UK, including Colombian-American anti-Muslim campaigner Valentina Gomez. Islamophobia News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0