More than 110,000 people in London responded to the call of right-wing extremist Robinson and protested against immigration. Thousands joined a counter-demonstration. Police reported clashes and arrests.

According to police estimates, more than 110,000 people took to the streets of London during a large right-wing demonstration in Great Britain."It appears to be one of the largest protests of its kind," said ARD correspondent Valerie Krall. The march was led and organized by well-known British right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson.

At some points during the demonstration there were clashes with the police and several people were arrested.

Slogans calling for stricter asylum policies could be read on posters and flags, such as"Stop the boats" and "Send them home," as Sky reported, among others. Anti-transgender activists were also among the demonstrators, according to the BBC.

About 5,000 counter-demonstrators

Police estimate the number of participants in a counter-demonstration under the slogan"March against Fascism" at around 5,000. However, exact numbers are difficult to estimate for such large events, they said. Police are using footage from surveillance cameras and police helicopters.

Participants held up signs with messages such as"Resist Tommy Robinson," "Refugees Welcome," and "Women Against the Far Right."

Around 1,000 Metropolitan Police officers were deployed in London, with 500 police officers being loaned from Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Devon and Cornwall, the BBC reports.

Clashes with the police

Shortly after midday, the streets of central London were already full of people waving Union Jack and English flags. Chants against British Prime Minister Keir Starmer could also be heard, according to Sky.

Clashes with police occurred at several locations, resulting in injuries, as can be seen in the images. Some demonstrators attempted, among other things, to break through barriers to reach counter-demonstrators. A group of protesters attacked officers with projectiles, the police wrote on Platform X. Several people were arrested during the course of the afternoon, and the police were confronted with"unacceptable violence," it was reported.

During the course of the afternoon, additional officers with protective gear and mounted police had to be called in. The British newspaper The Guardian reported at least nine arrests.

Rally with Elon Musk and Petr Bystron

In addition to the march through central London, there was also a rally in the government district. Tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk joined the rally via video link. According to the PA news agency, he said, among other things, that the British public is"afraid to exercise their freedom of expression." The BBC is "complicit in the destruction of Britain." Musk also addressed issues such as migration and Brexit.

Several right-wing politicians and activists from Europe traveled to the demonstration in London, including AfD MEP Petr Bystron. Robinson accompanied the demonstration and rally with a livestream and numerous posts on the platform X. He repeatedly called on the participants to remain peaceful. He repeatedly spoke of millions of"British patriots" taking to the streets "against the erosion of our freedom of expression."

Former US President Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon was originally announced as a speaker, as the PA news agency reported, citing Robinson. It is unclear whether Bannon spoke at the event.

Britain's most famous right-wing extremist

Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is one of Britain's most prominent right-wing extremists. He rose to prominence as an anti-Islam activist in the early 2000s.

The former head of the far-right English Defence League is attracting attention with his Islamophobic activities and violent protests, says ARD correspondent Krall."The English Defence League no longer exists, but Tommy Robinson hasn't disappeared from the scene since then," she said. He repeatedly organized protests in front of hotels housing refugees.

Robinson was only imprisoned in October 2024. Despite a court injunction, he had spread false claims about a Syrian refugee. Months later, he was released.

The journalist said that one can see at today's protests that it is"clearly his target group that is on the streets." Seventy to 80 percent of the participants are men, mostly white.

Joining forces with US right-wing nationalists?

The assassination attempt on right-wing nationalist US podcaster Charlie Kirk led to even more people joining the demonstration, Krall said."There was an attempt to establish the whole thing as a freedom of expression demonstration."

Almost all speakers mentioned Kirk and portrayed him as a "martyr" who had died for the right-wing cause. Many spoke of change or the dawn of a new era. The tenor was:"We stand together today and can make a difference," the correspondent described her impressions.

In addition, the Christian message was now more clearly evident than in previous demonstrations. Robinson's Christian background had not been a primary focus until now,"perhaps now one can see the connection between the different movements," Krall said. It's now mostly about Christian-white identity.