Police will be monitoring both Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march and also the annual ‘Nakba day’ pro-Palestine marchThe Metropolitan police is preparing for what it described as potentially “one of the busiest days for policing in recent years” as tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on central London for two major demonstrations.Armoured vehicles, horses, dogs, drones and helicopters will be deployed along with 4,000 officers to police t
Keir Starmer has described the far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson and others organising a major rally in London today as “individuals with long records of violence and extremism”.
As tens of thousands started their journeys into the city today ahead of the self-styled Unite the Kingdom (UTK) march, the prime minister used an article published on the website of LBC radio to again condemn Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
“Their goal is to inflame and divide. And they are seeking the support of far-right agitators around the world to make that happen,” wrote Starmer, whose government has blocked 11 people, including a Polish far-right MEP, from coming to Britain ahead of the event.
“I refuse to stand by and allow that poison to be imported into the UK,” he added.
View image in fullscreen Far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, delivers a speech during a Patriots Network conference in Paris, France, on 2 May.
Photograph: Mohammed Badra/EPA It emerged on Friday that another of those banned from coming to UK is Ezra Levant, a long time Canadian supporter of Robinson, who has been involved in the activist’s reinvention of himself as an online influencer and self-styled journalist.
Starmer used the same article to also issue a warning to those taking part in the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally, which is also taking place today along a different route in London.
Prosecutors have been told to consider whether protest placards, banners and chants viewed on social media may amount to offences of stirring up hatred during the rallies.
The new guidance, issued before what police have described as an “unprecedented” security operation, urges prosecutors to assess whether slogans, symbols or chants may influence audiences online if they are filmed and shared.
Starmer wrote: “The cause of a Palestinian state is just and, alongside a safe and secure Israel, one that is recognised by this government.
“But on marches that support that cause, it is not hard to find individuals who abuse it to spread antisemitism and intimidate Jewish communities. And this is taking place against the backdrop of a deeply worrying rise in antisemitic incidents – including terrorist attacks. The end result is that British Jews feel unsafe in their own streets.”
