Is anti-immigrant sentiment growing in UK? What London protests indicate

“Britain will not surrender its flag to those who wish to use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division,” said Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer after thousands of people took to the streets of central London for a “Unite the Kingdom” march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

The protests on Saturday resulted in violence breaking out in London — 26 police officers were injured with four of them being critically hurt. Officers said they were assaulted with kicks, punches, bottles, flares, and other projectiles amid the demonstrations following which the authorities have made 25arrests.

But what exactly happened on Saturday at the demonstrations? Who were behind them? What’s the reason for the violence and anger? We explain it all.

‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally in London

On Saturday (September 13), more than 100,000 people, led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, gathered in central London under the banner of ‘Unite the Kingdom’. Carrying the St George’s red-and-white flag of England and the Union Jack, the national flag of the United Kingdom, the demonstration was meant to support free speech, but carried anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim overtones.

The marchers could be heard chanting, “we want our country back” and many could be seen carrying signs saying “stop the boats,” “send them home,” and “enough is enough, save our children.”

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The demonstrators also chanted crude refrains about UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer — ‘Keir Starmer’s a wanker’ — and also shouted messages of support for slain US conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Amid the march, which spanned from Big Ben across the River Thames and around the corner beyond Waterloo train station, a distance of around a kilometre, Robinson said: “Today is the spark of a cultural revolution in Great Britain. This is our moment.”

“Patriotism is the future, borders are the future, and we want our free speech,” he added. Robinson also told attendees that migrants now enjoy more rights in court than the “British public, the people that built this nation.”

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Other speakers at the rally included French far-right politician Eric Zemmour and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who joined in through video conferencing. Zemmour told the crowd, “We are both subject to the same process of the great replacement of our European people by people coming from the south and of Muslim culture, you and we are being colonised by our former colonies.”

Meanwhile, Musk, Tesla CEO and owner of X, criticising the UK government, said, “There’s something beautiful about being British and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain, initially a slow erosion, but rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration.”

Musk also spoke about the killing of Charlie Kirk. “There’s so much violence on the Left, with our friend Charlie Kirk getting murdered in cold blood this week and people on the Left celebrating it openly.

“The Left is the party of murder and celebrating murder. I mean, let that sink in for a minute, that’s who we’re dealing with here.”

Musk further added, “My appeal is to British common sense, which is to look carefully around you and say: ‘If this continues, what world will you be living in?’”

“Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die, that’s the truth, I think.”

By afternoon, the rally, which was fairly peaceful, took a turn for the worse as tensions flared. According to a BBC report, the number of protesters joining the march, organised by Robinson, became too large to fit into Whitehall, and confrontation took place when officers tried to stop them encircling counter-protesters.

Mounted police officers used batons to push back the crowds and officers were kicked and punched, the Met said. The protesters punched, kicked, and hit the cops with bottles and other items, resulting in 26 of the officers being wounded during the clashes, with four suffering serious injuries, including broken teeth, a concussion, a possible broken nose, and a spinal injury.

At least 25 people were arrested for violent disorder, assault, and criminal damage, and the police investigation is underway, said the police. “There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence,” Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said. “They confronted officers, engaging in physical and verbal abuse and making a determined effort to breach cordons in place to keep everyone safe.”

A counter protest at the same site

What made the situation even more volatile was thousands of anti-racism protesters also gathered on the streets of London. Attended by left-wing lawmakers such as Zarah Sultana and Diane Abbott, the crowd held signs saying, “Refugees welcome” and “Smash the far right”, and shouted “Stand up, fight back!”

Abbott slammed Robinson and his allies of spreading “nonsense” and “dangerous” lies that asylum seekers were a threat. “We need to be in solidarity with asylum seekers, and we need to show that we are united,” she told Sky News.

Ben Hetchin, a teacher who attended the protest, said he was worried about the “hate that is dividing us”. He told Reuters that “the more that we welcome people, the stronger we are as a country”.

The “Stand Up to Racism” campaign group posted on X that its protesters had also been attacked by Robinson’s followers. “Are these the ‘concerned ordinary people’ we’ve heard so much about? Or are they far right thugs,” said one post.

Officials Speak

Following the violence at the protest, British PM Keir Starmer said the country would not tolerate people feeling intimidated “because of their background or the colour of their skin”.

“People have a right to peaceful protest. It is core to our country’s values,” Starmer said on X, “But we will not stand for assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin.”

He further added, “Britain is a nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect”. “Our flag represents our diverse country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division,” Starmer said.

The business secretary, Peter Kyle, also condemned the violence at the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ event, saying, “The bit that disturbs me is that when a minority go to an extreme and end up perpetrating violence against the police - that is unacceptable and those people should and will pay a price for it.”

He also slammed Musk for his remarks, saying, “I thought that they were slightly incomprehensible comments that were totally inappropriate.”

Additionally, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood vowed that anyone found to have taken part in criminal activity would “face the full force of the law”.

Anger behind the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally

But what exactly galvanised the protesters to gather in such large numbers?

Immigration — claims that migrants are taking away jobs and resources — and the worsening crime rate are the main reasons behind the anger and the protests that broke out on Saturday. In fact, anti-migrant protests have taken place this summer outside hotels housing asylum-seekers, sometimes turning violent.

The alleged lack of free speech in Britain is also the reason for the massive demonstrations in London. Last week, the police arrested over 800 people at a rally in support of the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action, which has been banned by the British government under terrorism laws. The arrests have further sharpened debate in Britain over free speech, which Robinson and critics on the left claim is being suppressed.

With inputs from agencies