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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
Far-right anti-immigration protests in London lead to clashes with | |
police | |
By Catherine Nicholls, CNN | |
Updated: | |
5:42 PM EDT, Sat September 13, 2025 | |
Source: CNN | |
Police officers were “attacked with projectiles” and | |
“assaulted” during far-right anti-immigration protests in London on | |
Saturday, the British capital’s force said, as more than 110,000 | |
people took to the city’s streets. | |
The Unite the Kingdom protest was organized by far-right political | |
activist Tommy Robinson. Counter-protesters also flocked to the British | |
capital. | |
The Metropolitan Police Service said on social media on Saturday that | |
the reported attacks happened after demonstrators at the Unite the | |
Kingdom march breached a “sterile area” put in place to keep | |
protesters and counter-protesters apart. | |
In a later social media post, the force said: “Officers are having to | |
intervene in multiple locations to stop Unite the Kingdom protesters | |
trying to access sterile areas, breach police cordons or get to | |
opposing groups. A number of officers have been assaulted.” | |
The service said that 26 officers were injured in the clashes and 25 | |
people were arrested. | |
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist condemned the “wholly | |
unacceptable” attacks in a statement. | |
“Our post-event investigation has already begun - we are identifying | |
those who were involved in the disorder and they can expect to face | |
robust police action in the coming days and weeks,” Twist said. | |
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also said that “violence and attacking police | |
officers is completely unacceptable.” | |
Demonstrators brandishing flags of the United Kingdom and England – | |
the Union Flag and the Cross of St. George respectively – marched to | |
Whitehall, the London district where the prime minister and government | |
departments reside. | |
It comes after a summer of across the country, some of which turned | |
violent. British and English flags have also in cities and towns across | |
the nation in tandem with the protests. | |
One video posted showed a protester holding a photograph of the | |
American political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on | |
Wednesday. The crowd can be heard chanting Kirk’s name. | |
“Britain has finally awoken. We’ve been waiting decades,” | |
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, said in one video. | |
“Patriotism is the future, borders are the future, and we want our | |
free speech,” he said. | |
Robinson, the founder of the now-defunct anti-immigration English | |
Defence League (EDL), was released from prison earlier this year, | |
having been jailed for being in contempt of court by repeating false | |
accusations about a Syrian refugee. | |
Commander Clair Haynes from the Metropolitan Police acknowledged ahead | |
of Saturday’s protest that many Muslim Londoners could have | |
“particular concerns” about the Unite the Kingdom march, “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 behavior this Saturday, including not coming into town. That is | |
not our advice. Everyone should be able to feel safe travelling into | |
and around London,” she said in a released by the police force | |
Friday. | |
Meanwhile, large crowds gathered for a counter-protest. Politicians | |
including the left-wing John McDonnell and Diane Abbott gave speeches. | |
Protesters chanted phrases including “no justice, no peace, no | |
fascists on our streets” and “this is what community looks like.” | |
Sangita Myska, a journalist who attended the counter-protest, said in a | |
post on social media that “people of all political persuasions, | |
class, race, gender and ability are uniting to show that Tommy | |
Robinson’s (aka Yaxley-Lennon) hate filled rhetoric does not | |
represent true British values.” | |
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