Unite the Kingdom protesters: Hundreds of thousands of Tommy Robinson protesters 'flood and gridlock roads' in London chanting 'we want our country back'
Hundreds of thousands of Tommy Robinson protesters have “flooded” the streets of London.
An account on X called @TheBritLad posted: “Patriots flood Central London, gridlocking roads with flags and chants of "We want our country back!" ITS FINALLY HAPPENING. The British are AWAKE”.
Meanwhile men carrying Union and St George’s cross flags were seen sitting outside central London pubs, while others carrying tins of alcohol walked towards the start point of Robinson’s march which will begin near Waterloo Bridge. Eight police vans – from Warwickshire Police, West Midlands Police and the Metropolitan Police – lined Woburn Street which runs alongside the square.
More than a hundred people have also gathered outside Russell Square before the March Against Fascism counter-protest against far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rally, both of which are being held in central London on Saturday. People milled around with placards that said “refugees welcome” and “oppose Tommy Robinson”, and chants of “say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here” started at around 11.20am.
Police have said they are not using live facial recognition in its policing of the “Unite the Kingdom” demonstration which is beginning on London’s south bank. It said: “We’re using a mobile CCTV van to help monitor the build up of crowds. Officers have been asked if it’s using ‘live facial recognition’ – we can confirm it is not.”
The live facial recognition technology – which captures people’s faces in real-time CCTV cameras – was used in the policing operation at the Notting Hill Carnival. A massive police operation is taking place amid fears of violence involving protesters. The Metropolitan Police has called in 500 reinforcement officers from across the UK to help .
Around 1,000 officers will be responsible for the two protests taking place in central London, the force said. More than 1,600 officers will be deployed as part of the overall public order policing operation in the city, on a busy day for events.