Tens of Thousands Attend Tommy Robinson ‘Unite the Kingdom Rally’ in London

Tens of thousands of people marched through central London on May 16 for a “Unite the Kingdom” rally organized by right-wing activist Tommy Robinson.

The BBC said police estimated that about 60,000 people attended, which is lower than the attendance at a similar event in September 2025.

The march started along Kingsway and continued toward Whitehall and Parliament Square. Many participants waved Union Flags as a show of patriotism. Organizers had presented the event as a cultural movement against various crises facing the UK.

Interviewees gave only their first names, expressing concerns about social or professional repercussions. Some said that economic and social problems, such as free speech issues, stem from the UK’s immigration policy.

“We’re not allowed to say what we believe,” Daniel, a protester at the event, told NTD, The Epoch Times’ sister media outlet. “It’s basically socialism and communism, that’s where we’re going to now.”

Another attendee, Alan, said that the crime rate had risen since immigration increased.

He came to support the event and called for detention and deportation of illegal immigrants, stating authorities “don’t know who they are, where they’re coming from, and what they’ve done.”

Another participant, June, criticized the handling of immigrant arrivals when speaking with NTD during the rally.

“They just keep letting them in and in and in,” she said.

She described government-provided hotel accommodation as excessive, noting arrivals were “living the life of Rileys in these massive, great, beautiful hotels.”

Dorcas attended with her family and voiced safety fears.

“We don’t want to be locked in our homes. Older people and young children can’t play out on the streets,” she said in an interview with NTD.

She linked these issues to current immigration levels, saying that too many arrivals affect jobs and community safety for local people. The Epoch Times was unable to verify the participants’ claims.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under pressure following disastrous local election results for the Labour Party and a surge in support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Some attendees voiced disappointment with Starmer’s Labour government and expressed hope for political change, including support for Reform UK, though views differed on the solutions.

At the rally in Parliament Square, Robinson addressed the crowd and urged greater political engagement.

“Are you ready for the battle of Britain? 2029 we have an election. We’re not asking anyone to go out and fight, but this is the most important moment in our generation,” he said.

“If we don’t send a message in our next election, if you don’t register to vote, if you don’t get involved, if you don’t become activists, we are going to lose our country forever.”

The event ran parallel to a separate pro-Palestinian march marking Nakba Day, prompting police to enforce a strict separation between the groups.

The Metropolitan Police said the Nakba Day rally is an “annual protest organised by a coalition of groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War and others.”

This year, those groups were joined by Stand Up to Racism, which opposes the Unite the Kingdom rally, police said.

That group describes itself as “a movement against all forms of racism including Islamophobia and antisemitism.”

In a May 18 statement, Stand Up to Racism said, Robinson “wanted to turn reform’s electoral gains into a show of strength on the streets.”

“But we showed that there is a united and determined movement ready to oppose the far right wherever they try to organise,” the group added.

Ahead of the rally, the Metropolitan Police said it would deploy more than 4,000 officers for one of its largest recent public order operations. Police also used horses, helicopters, dog units, drones, armored vehicles, and live facial recognition.

The operation cost an estimated 4.5 million pounds (about $6 million).

In a May 17 update, the Metropolitan Police said 43 arrests had been made as part of the Central London policing operation.

“20 of those arrested were affiliated with the Unite the Kingdom protest, while 12 were affiliated with the Nakba protest,” the Met said in a post on X. “Eleven were either not affiliated with either group, or it hasn’t been possible to confirm their affiliation.”

The Met added that 11 arrests were related to alleged hate crime offenses, with two affiliated to the Nakba Day protest and nine to the Unite the Kingdom rally.

In a May 18 statement, the police said a woman arrested at the Nakba protest was charged with “assaulting an emergency worker, criminal damage and possession of cannabis,” while a man arrested at the Unite the Kingdom protest was charged with “racially aggravated public order offence which involved racially abusive remarks directed at a police officer.”

Who Is Tommy Robinson?

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has been politically active in the UK for years, initially rising to fame as co-founder of the English Defence League (EDL) in 2009.

The EDL and Robinson himself were often accused of being far-right and of espousing fascist views, something that Robinson has always denied.

He severed ties with the organization in 2013, and it has since become defunct.

The main focus of his campaigns in the past has been criticism of Islam, but more recently, they have shifted to issues of free speech.

Robinson has been jailed numerous times, including for contempt of court, using false travel documents, and mortgage fraud.

He has frequently stated he believes he has been unfairly targeted by British authorities for his political views and has denied allegations of racism.

Guy Birchall contributed to this report.