March against antisemitism: Tommy Robinson escorted away from London protest as man has been arrested

Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defence League has been escorted away after thousands of people attended a march against antisemitism in London. Both ministers and the Metropolitan Police have stressed the need for the UK’s Jewish community to feel safe on the streets, amid concern about rising tensions sparked by the war in Gaza.

The march, organised by Campaign Against Antisemitism began at 1.30pm from the Royal Courts of Justice in the capital where former prime minister Boris Johnson joined thousands of people for the demonstration.

There had been fears in that Mr Robinson, the former leader of the far-right grouping, could disrupt the protest as he had previously been seen among the crowds of counter-protesters who clashed with police during ceasefire protests held on Armistice Day. The Met said in advance he was "not welcome" at the march, with the force warning that any offences "whether from within the protest or from any groups trying to challenge or interfere with the march" would be dealt with.

Police later confirmed a 40-year-old man had been arrested close to the Royal Courts of Justice, from where the demonstration began on Sunday (26 November) afternoon.

On Sunday, he was seen arguing with officers for about 10 minutes outside Soho coffee shop opposite the Royal Courts of Justice.

He was then led away from the scene. In a statement, the Met said: “We have been in frequent contact with the organisers of the march in recent days. They have been clear about their concerns that the man’s attendance, and that of those who were likely to accompany him, would cause fear for other participants.

“The same view has been voiced by others. As a result, he was spoken to and warned on more than one occasion that his continued presence in the area was likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to others. He was directed to leave the area but refused to do so.”

A temporary truce between Hamas and Israel is still holding, with the release of a second group of hostages and Palestinians from Israeli prisons coming late on Saturday. Hamas is to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners. All are women and minors.

The rally in the capital comes after tens of thousands of people gathered once again on Saturday to demand a permanent ceasefire. Some pro-Palestinian demonstrators accused Israel of committing genocide, while others chanted “from the river to the sea”.