Tens of thousands of rival demonstrators—including supporters of right-wing activist Tommy Robinson and pro-Palestinian groups—were expected to descend on London on Saturday in what police warned could become one of the capital’s largest security operations in years.
The British capital’s Metropolitan Police said it would deploy 4,000 officers—alongside horses, dogs, drones, and helicopters—to manage the marches, as well as the FA Cup final.
The Met has imposed various conditions on the two rallies, including their routes and timings, in a bid to keep rival attendees apart.
The force, which estimates the operation will cost £4.5 million ($6 million), warned in a statement that it would adopt “a zero-tolerance approach.”
That includes, for the first time, making organisers legally responsible for ensuring invited speakers do not break public order or hate speech laws.
On the eve of the demonstrations, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone … can expect to face the full force of the law.”
Starmer—facing intense pressure within his ruling Labour Party to quit after Reform UK and separatist parties scored wins in local elections last week—accused organisers of Saturday’s rally of “peddling hatred and division.”
“Their goal is to convince people that Britain’s problems are caused by those living alongside them,” he said in a video posted online after visiting the Met’s operational control room.
“But that is not the Britain that I know.”
Robinson supporters and pro-Palestinian groups mobilise
Robinson—whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon—is a former football hooligan turned right-wing activist whose profile has soared in recent years, particularly online.
Last September, he drew up to 150,000 people into central London for a similarly themed rally proclaiming “national unity, free speech, and Christian values.”
X owner Elon Musk addressed that event, which drew widespread attention for its scale, as well as clashes between some participants and police that injured dozens of officers.
Robinson’s growing appeal comes amid public anger over migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, wider immigration policies, alleged free speech curbs, and other issues.
The Met estimates around 50,000 of his supporters will attend on Saturday, with 30,000 people expected at the rival rally marking Nakba Day, commemorating the 1948 displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel.
The far-left Stand Up to Racism group has combined its anti-racism march with the Nakba Day event.
Robinson has urged his attendees not to wear masks or drink excessive alcohol, and to be “peaceful and courteous.”
“The establishment has thrown everything in the way of us as we fight to Unite The Kingdom and the West,” Robinson said this week on X, predicting “the biggest patriotic rally to grace this planet.”
Concerns over clashes and disorder
Starmer’s office said the PM recognised that the majority were set to protest peacefully as “law-abiding citizens” but claimed that a minority were “violent thugs.”
Police also voiced fears about football hooligan groups that have previously supported Robinson showing up.
The Met said live facial recognition would be used for the first time to police a protest.
Meanwhile, the government has blocked 11 people it described as “foreign far-right agitators” from entering Britain for Robinson’s rally.
They include U.S.-based activist Valentina Gomez, who the government said is “known for using inflammatory and dehumanising rhetoric about Muslim communities.”
Saturday’s rival demonstrations follow a series of violent attacks targeting London’s Jewish community. Pro-Palestinian marches have been blamed for helping fuel antisemitism.
The UK’s terrorism threat level was raised two weeks ago to the second-highest level of “severe.”
