This Saturday, thousands of Tommy Robinson’s supporters gathered in central London to demand his release and call for a national inquiry into grooming gangs. The rally, organised under the slogans “Unite the Kingdom” and “Stop the Isolation,” was met by a counter-protest from Stand Up to Racism, who marched with the message “Stop the Far Right.”
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The “Stop the Isolation” rally began around midday at Waterloo Station, with protesters marching across Westminster Bridge towards Whitehall. At the same time, counter-protestors gathered at Piccadilly Circus and made their way to Whitehall. A significant police presence, including barriers, was deployed to separate the two groups and prevent clashes.
This demo comes nearly six months after Robinson was sentenced to 18 months in prison for Contempt of Court. The Solicitor General took legal action against him for breaching a High Court injunction issued in 2021. Robinson admitted to 10 violations of the court order, which prohibited him from making defamatory statements against a Syrian refugee. He is currently in solitary confinement in prison.
Tommy Robinson’s supporters start to gather in Waterloo Station waving UK and US flags – Image: Veronica Muñoz Martinez
The general sentiment of the protestors was anger against the judicial system. Heather Gulliver, a supporter of the former EDL leader, called the protest “a waste of time” as it “shouldn’t be happening”. She said that she was there because of the “appalling injustice” she believed had been done to him. “It should be the judges who are in prison, not Tommy Robinson”.
Protestors marched towards Whitehall while chanting, ‘Free Tommy out’ and ‘Starmer out’. They were holding banners with slogans like ‘Free Tommy’, ‘Not Far Right, But Right So Far’, “I am Peter Lynch’… Some of these banners reflected a strong disagreement against the new government’s ‘Net Zero’ policy and net migration.
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Protesters marching with banners – Image: Veronica Muñoz Martinez
The call for a national inquiry into grooming gangs was also raised, with many wearing a ‘Free the political prisoner’ sticker written on their banner. Kemi Badenoch and tech mogul Elon Musk have recently accused Labour leader Keir Starmer of being complicit in ignoring the grooming gang cases. In response, Starmer reassured his commitment to investigating this issue further but criticised those spreading “lies and misinformation”. “They are not interested in victims, they are interested in themselves,” he said.
Dillan, a young protestor from Maidstone, shared his personal experience of being threatened and hit by grooming gangs, leaving him scared to report it to the police. He shared his concerns about the safety of his sisters: “I am the only man in my household, and it’s my responsibility to protect them”. In regards of immigration, he said that people coming to the UK need to be educated. “They need to adapt to our country. We live in a Christian nation, and they have to respect our values.”
Dillan, wearing a flag and a ‘Free the political prisoners’ sticker – Image: Veronica Muñoz Martinez
Elon Musk supporters attended the protest too. They wore masks of his face, T-Shirts with his name and held banners with pictures of him. Since Musk took over the Department for Government Efficiency, he has been pushing for global government reform by allying with right-wing, anti-Islamic and anti-immigration parties such as Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD). He also supports Tommy Robinson, who co-founded The English Defence League (EDL), an organisation that was linked to anti-Islamism. Musk has been pushing Nigel Farage to welcome Robinson into the Reform UK party. However, Farage replied he “is not right for Reform” and that he never sells out his principles.
Protesters showed their support for Musk by wearing masks with his face and T-Shirts with his name – Image: Veronica Muñoz Martinez
Cameron, one of the protesters, praised Musk for speaking out about issues like grooming gangs and for his support to Robinson. “Elon is the richest man in the world so I think it is fantastic that he is drawing attention to something that affects so many kids in the country and all of us,” he said. “If you want social cohesion, look after the most vulnerable people who are children. Every government has tried to cover it up, so Elon calling attention is absolutely brilliant. I support that.”
Religion played a prominent role at the rally with many carrying banners supporting Christianity. Joel, Gordon’s friend, carried a sign that read ‘Christian Nations Need Christ’ and ‘We Need The Seed’. “Compassion, good education, and healthcare all come from Christian institutions,” Joel said.
Cameron and Joel holding their banner – Image: Veronica Muñoz Martinez
When asked about secularity in the UK or welcoming other religions, they both agreed they would just prefer a Christian country, but they accepted “legal migrants” from other religions.
In the static assembly at Whitehall, the first speaker on stage condemned harmful stereotypes about Muslims including the accusation that they are “machete murderers.” In her speech, she continued saying that “not all perpetrators are brown skinned.” Other speakers included Howard Cox, who ran for London mayor.
Stand Up to Racism Counter-Protest
On the opposite side of Whitehall, Stand Up to Racism protesters gathered, chanting “Refugees are welcome here” and “Stop the fascists now.” They raised concerns about the rise of the far-right and political figures like Elon Musk or Trump, with some holding banners calling to ‘Dump Trump’.
Counter-protestors holding posters condemning racism, hate, division, and inequality. The Nazi logo is possibly referencing allegations against far-right parties and their associations with Nazi ideology – Image: Veronica Muñoz Martinez
Speakers at this protest, including union leaders Kevin Courtney, Nahella Ashraf and Weynman Benett, condemned Robinson and called for solidarity against racism and fascism. “I’ll be told the reason why Tommy Robinson is a political prisoner is because he’s a journalist,” Weynman Bennett said. “He’s not a journalist. He’s a fascist, he’s a racist,” he continued saying while addressing Robinson’s links with the British National Party. “He has always supported the far-right,” he finished saying.
Chloe, Stand Up to Racism supporter, told Politics UK, “I am noticing that there is an awful lot of racism on the increase, and it’s becoming more normalised”. She also addressed the controversy surrounding Elon Musk, referencing an incident at his inauguration, “that was clearly a Nazi salute”.
There was an increased level of security than a normal rally. A ‘Women’s safety group’ was in Tommy Robinson’s protest too, protecting women who came alone to the rally. Overall, most of the attendants were in “good spirits”. Politics UK witnessed an argument between two Tommy Robinson supporters after one of them was intoxicated. “Don’t get drunk, don’t walk down the street wearing a mask, and don’t have a can of Stella in your hand. Just behave to represent England,” one of the protestors said.
The Metropolitan Police reported six arrests from the “Unite the Kingdom” protest; three of them attempted to breach the barriers to join the counter-protest.
