Violence Breaks Out During Massive Far-Right Rally in London
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: A massive anti-immigrant rally in central London, organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, descended into violence on Saturday (September 13), leaving dozens of police officers injured and resulting in 24 arrests, with authorities now vowing to pursue more suspects.
London's Metropolitan Police estimated that over 110,000 people attended the "Unite the Kingdom" march, which culminated in supporters clashing with officers. In a statement reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP), police confirmed 26 officers were injured – four of them seriously – and said a "post-event investigation is under way" to identify others involved in the disorder.
The event drew high-profile international figures from the far-right, including a video address from X owner Elon Musk. In an incendiary speech detailed in multiple reports, Musk claimed the political left was “the party of murder” and told the crowd, "You either fight back or you die." As noted by The New York Times, Musk's reinstatement of Robinson's account on the platform last year is credited with significantly raising the activist's profile.
The violence erupted when a group of Robinson's supporters threw bottles and other projectiles while attempting to breach police barriers separating them from a smaller 5,000-strong counterprotest, according to an Associated Press report. Officers were punched and kicked, forcing reinforcements in riot gear to be deployed.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is the founder of the anti-Islam English Defence League and has a history of convictions for assault and contempt of court. The rally, billed as a defence of free speech, also featured tributes to the recently slain US conservative activist Charlie Kirk and a speech from French politician Eric Zemmour, who invoked the "great replacement" conspiracy theory.
The anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate, cited by AFP, called the event "unprecedented" and a potential "sign of dark times to come", noting the large crowd cheered speeches that called for the "remigration" of legal migrants and claimed Britain was being "invaded".
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