British Police Deploy Great Troops, Secure Two Crossing Demonstrators

Anti-racist groups and anti-immigrants of massive demonstrations in London (doc. Socialist Worker).

The anti-immigrant right-wing demonstrators and anti-racism demonstrators started a major demonstration in London on Saturday, October 26, 2024.

They are closely monitored by police who increase security in order to prevent clashes between the two sides.

Several thousand people joined the "Unite the Kingdom" demonstration organized by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, campaigning towards parliament.

They carried British flags and banners that read "When will the government act for the British people?".

Meanwhile, retaliatory protests from anti-racism activists and trade unions also gathered with banners that read "Refuge Received" and "Disappear Right Wings".

Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Rachel Williams, who led the police operation deployed officers from all over the country. He said they had been well prepared.

"We will have significant resources to respond to any incidents, handle violations firmly, and minimize disturbances to members of society and other businesses," he said.

Britain rioted for days in cities across the country at the end of July 2024 after the murder of three young girls at a dance workshop in Southport.

This happened after misinformation on social media that mistakenly identified a murder suspect as a Muslim migrant.

The riots, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as far-right racism and thuggery, targeted hotels hosting asylum seekers and mosques.

The riots ended after police made more than 1,500 arrests and charged around 1,000 people.

The right-wing protesters described themselves as "patriots", who said Britain was threatened by migrants and Islamization.

Yaxley-Lennon, accused by several media and politicians of fueling tensions that caused the unrest, were not present at the march.

He was detained by the police ahead of the case of insulting the court which will be tried on Monday, October 28, 2024.

On Friday, October 25, 2024, he was also charged under terrorism law for not giving his cell phone PIN code when he left England in July 2024.

"We don't care whether you are black, brown, white, or green. What we care about are our shared values, our culture, and the direction of our country," said a message on his X account.

The protests came as the number of asylum seekers on Saturday reached 29,578, more than the overall year of 2023.

The asylum seeker crossed from Europe in a small boat that became a problem and made many people in England angry.