{"id":421370,"date":"2025-09-13T15:12:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T15:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/421370\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:12:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T15:12:15","slug":"thousands-march-in-london-in-support-of-far-right-activist-tommy-robinson-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/421370\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands march in London in support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands of demonstrators packed London streets for several blocks Saturday for a march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.<\/p>\n

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The \u201cUnite the Kingdom\u201d rally got underway as much smaller numbers of counterprotesters, organized by the Stand Up To Racism group, were gathered under the banner of the \u201cMarch Against Fascism.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 1,000 police officers were on duty to patrol the dueling demonstrations and there was a buffer zone to keep the two from engaging with each other near the halls of government.<\/p>\n

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and is known for his nationalist and anti-migrant views, billed the march as a demonstration for free speech, and also said it was in defense of British heritage and culture.<\/p>\n

The marches come at a time when the U.K. has been riven by debate over migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded inflatable boats to arrive on shore without authorization.<\/p>\n

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Numerous anti-migrant protests\u00a0were 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 became violent and led to arrests.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tU.K. protests: Police pelted with fireworks during riots, bodycam footage shows\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Participants in the \u201cUnite the Kingdom\u201d march carried the St. George\u2019s red-and-white flag of England and the union jack, the state flag of the United Kingdom, and chanted \u201cwe want our country back.\u201d U.K. flags have proliferated this summer across the U.K. \u2014 at events and on village lampposts \u2014 in what some have said is a show of national pride and others said reflects a tilt toward nationalism.<\/p>\n

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