Thousands expected in London for Tommy Robinson march and counter-demo after Kirk assassination
A march organised by Tommy Robinson and an anti-fascist counter protest will take place in London on Saturday
Thousands are expected to descend upon the streets of London for a march organised by Tommy Robinson and a counter-demonstration by anti-fascist campaigners on Saturday.
Listen to this article
Right-wing activist Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley Lennon, has organised a 'Unite the Kingdom' march and is using the death of American conservative influencer Charlie Kirk to drive support for the demonstration.
On Friday night, the campaigner posted a picture of a composite British and American flag with a picture of Mr Kirk, who was shot and killed on Wednesday, superimposed upon it.
The protest, which will begin near the Southbank at 11am on Saturday, is set to march along York Road and over Westminster Bridge before stopping at the southern end of Whitehall for a rally.
He has also said in the run-up to the far-right protest that he hopes it will "unite the freedom loving world".
A counter-march, organised by Stand Up to Racism, will also take place on Saturday.
The anti-fascist protest will form up in Russell Square from midday before marching through Kingsway, Aldwych and the Strand to the northern end of Whitehall.
More than 1,600 officers will descend on the capital to keep the peace amid demonstrations by right-wing activist Tommy Robinson's followers and a counter-demonstration by Stand Up to Racism.
500 officers from other forces have been drafted in to London to keep the peace.
The Met's Commander Clair Haynes, who is in charge of the operation in London this weekend, said: “This will be a very busy day with protest, sporting fixtures, concerts and other events.
The Met is used to delivering the sort of complex and large-scale policing operation that is required to keep the public safe and we have a detailed plan to do so on Saturday.
“I am grateful to the many hundreds of Met officers who are being deployed away from their day to day roles and to the 500 or so officers from around the country who have responded to our request for support.
“The main focus of the operation is on the two protests in central London. We will approach them as we do any other protests, policing without fear or favour, ensuring people can exercise their lawful rights but being robust in dealing with incidents or offences should they occur.
Commander Haynes also sought to calm fears of Muslim Londoners about the Unite the Kingdom march, telling them they should not "change their behaviour" because of the protest.
She added: “In the run up to the protests we have been in close contact with the organisers, with local business and community representatives and with representatives of communities across London more broadly.
“We would ask all those taking part in the protests to be considerate of the communities they are passing through to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. Officers will take a firm line on behaviour that is discriminatory or that crosses the line from protest into hate crime.
“We recognise that there are particular concerns for many in London’s Muslim communities ahead of the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ protest given the record of anti-Muslim rhetoric and incidents of offensive chanting by a minority at previous marches.
“There have been some suggestions that Muslim Londoners should change their behaviour this Saturday, including not coming into town. That is not our advice. Everyone should be able to feel safe travelling into and around London. Our officers are there to ensure that is the case and we’d urge anyone who is out on Saturday and feels concerned to speak to us."
The march comes a day after hundreds attended a vigil for Charlie Kirk in central London, with speakers hailing him as a "Christian martyr" and calling for people to wage a "war on evil".
Kirk was a close ally of Donald Trump, and co-founder and chief executive of the youth right-wing organisation Turning Point USA, which campaigned for young people to vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
A large portrait of Mr Kirk was held up as Turning Point UK chief executive Jack Ross addressed the crowd calling for left-wingers to "be careful with their rhetoric".
"We will not be intimidated, we will not be bullied out of standing up for our country, our values, and our people," Mr Ross said.
"Despite what certain members of the press have purported, Charlie was not a hateful far-right bigot: he was a good Christian man and his desire to help people came from his passion for Christ."