london protest

Demonstrators take part in the Tommy Robinson-led Unite the Kingdom march and rally near Westminster, London.

Photo : AP

London: London on Sunday saw its streets flooded with hundreds of thousands of people, out of their homes with Britain’s national flags, launching a massive protest against the government’s anti-immigration policies and upping the ante against illegal immigrants.

According to The Guardian, there were around 110K (over a lakh) at the very least in London.

While some reports claimed that around 3 million people flocked to the streets, one of the biggest anti-immigration protests took shape.

Millions hit central London in a show of patriotic unity like nothing seen before, signalling that a cultural revolution might be in the making.

Not just the streets, but social media was also flooded with the same sentiment, as Brits gave a call for unity and for making ‘Britain Great Again’.

Some isolated incidents of minor clashes between people and police also surfaced, but the heavy presence of those participating in the #UniteTheKingdom campaign outnumbered the cops.

Several officers were punched, kicked, and struck by bottles tossed by people at the fringes of the “Unite the Kingdom” rally, Metropolitan Police said.

At least 25 people were arrested for offences including violent disorder, assault, and criminal damage. The investigation continues, police said.

“There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence,” Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said.

Why London Witnessed Its Greatest Ever Demonstration?

Britain’s far-right activist Tommy Robinson gave the call for protest under the banner ‘Unite The Kingdom’. It received an enormous, mammoth response, drawing more than 110,000 people to the streets.

The rally drew an estimated crowd of between 110,000 and 150,000 people, some also say around 3 M, far surpassing expectations, police said.

Who is Tommy Robinson aka Stephen Yaxley-Lennon

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the nationalist and anti-Islam English Defence League and is one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain.

The march was billed as a demonstration in support of free speech, with much of the rhetoric from influencers and far-right politicians across Europe aimed largely at the perils of migration—a problem much of the continent is struggling to control.

“We are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture. You and we are being colonized by our former colonies,” said far-right French politician Eric Zemmour.

Elon Musk Pitches In, Says Fight Back or Die

Elon Musk, X owner and Tesla CEO, who has criticised British policies several times, appeared via video and condemned the left-leaning UK government.

“There’s something beautiful about being British, and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain—initially a slow erosion, but now a rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration,” he said.

Europeans Feels Migrants Have More Rights Than Locals, Outraged

Tommy Robinson told the crowd in a hoarse voice that migrants now had more rights in court than the “British public—the people that built this nation.”

Anti-immigrant Sentiment Visible Across Europe

The marches come at a time when the UK is deeply divided over migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded inflatable boats to arrive without authorisation.

Numerous anti-migrant protests were held this summer outside hotels housing asylum-seekers, following the arrest of an Ethiopian man who was later convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a London suburb. Some of those protests turned violent and led to arrests.

Locals in Europe have started to feel that due to pro-immigrant policies of their respective governments have pushed back them in the region.

Markets are flooded with illegal immigrants, who continue to settle in, and a considerable number of them are indulging in criminal acts including rape, sexual offences, theft, among others.

People have started to feel that immigrants are having more rights than them, building an emotion of outrage which was wide visible during Sunday’s London protest.