London police clash with demonstrators in 'largest' right-wing protest rally in years

Police say 25 arrests made and 26 officers injured

Demonstrators wave British Union and St George's England flags during a Unite The Kingdom rally on Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament on September 13 in London, England. Getty Images

Protesters with Union and St George's England flags on September 13, 2025. Far-right activist Tommy Robinson invited supporters to hold a rally in central London titled Unite The Kingdom. Getty Images

A police line at the Unite The Kingdom rally in Westminster on September 13, 2025 in London, England. Getty Images

Flags draped on a bas relief at the bottom of Nelson's Column during the Unite The Kingdom rally in central London. Getty Images

Protesters on Westminster Bridge by the Houses of Parliament on September 13, 2025 in London. Far-right activist Tommy Robinson - also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - invited supporters to hold a rally in central London titled Unite The Kingdom. A counter demonstration was held by the Stand Up To Racism campaign. Getty Images

Unite The Kingdom protesters draped in the flag of St George in London. Getty Images

Police officers detain a protester during the Tommy Robinson-led Unite The Kingdom march and rally in central London. A March Against Fascism, organised by Stand Up To Racism, was also staged in the capital. PA

Tommy Robinson speaks during the Unite The Kingdom march and rally near Westminster, London, on September 13, 2025. AP Photo

The Unite The Kingdom march and rally in central London. Metropolitan Police said the city's Muslim residents should not be put off their day-to-day activities by the far-right demonstration on Saturday. PA

Demonstrators climb on bus stops in Whitehall during the Unite The Kingdom Rally in Central London on September 13, 2025 in London, England. Event organiser Tommy Robinson described it as the UK’s biggest free speech festival. The anti-Muslim rhetoric at earlier marches sent an intimidatory message, according to the community. Getty Images

Protesters wrap up in St George's and Union flags at the Unite The Kingdom rally in central London. A counter demonstration was organised by anti-racism campaigners under the banner of Stand Up to Racism. EPA

Protesters in London display a placard bearing the image of American far-right commentator Charlie Kirk. EPA

Protesters wave British Union, St George's and Saltire flags during the Unite The Kingdom rally in Whitehall on September 13, 2025 in London. Organiser and far-right activist Tommy Robinson and his supporters are actively Islamaphobic and racist and have been behind much of the unrest seen outside hotels housing migrants this summer. Getty Images

More than 100,000 protesters marched through central London on Saturday, carrying flags of England and Britain and scuffling with police in one of the UK's biggest right-wing demonstrations of modern times.

London's Metropolitan Police said the Unite The Kingdom march, organised by anti-immigrant campaigner Tommy Robinson, was attended by about 110,000 people, who were kept apart from a Stand Up To Racism counter-protest attended by about 5,000 people.

The police appeared to be taken by surprise by the size of the turnout, describing the rally as "too big to fit into Whitehall," a wide street lined with government buildings, on the approved route of the march.

Police trying to prevent protesters veering from the route faced "unacceptable violence," the force said, describing officers being kicked and punched and facing bottles, flares and other projectiles.

The police said 26 officers were injured, four seriously.

Arrests totalled 25, which the force said was "just the start".

"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," Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said.

The march brought a culmination to a highly charged summer in Britain that included protests staged outside hotels housing migrants. Demonstrators carried the Union flag of Britain and the red and white St George's Cross of England, while others brought American and Israeli flags and wore the Make America Great Again, or MAGA, hats of US President Donald Trump.

They chanted slogans critical of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and carried placards including some saying "send them home". Some brought children.

"Today is the spark of a cultural revolution in Great Britain, this is our moment," Robinson said in an address to supporters, saying they had created "a tidal wave of patriotism".

In a video link to the rally, US billionaire Elon Musk, who has intervened in British politics to support Robinson and other far-right figures, called for a change of government in Britain. He said the British public were scared to exercise their free speech.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, describes himself as a journalist exposing state wrongdoing. Britain's biggest anti-immigrant political party, Reform UK, which has topped opinion polls in recent months, has kept its distance from Robinson, who has several criminal convictions.

"We want our country back, we want our free speech back on track," Sandra Mitchell, a supporter attending the rally, told Reuters.

"They need to stop illegal migration into this country," she said. "We believe in Tommy."

At the counter-protest, Ben Hetchin, a teacher, said: "The idea of hate is dividing us and I think the more that we welcome people the stronger we are as a country."

Police said they had more than 1,600 officers on duty across London on Saturday, including 500 from other forces. In addition to policing the two demonstrations, the London force was stretched by high-profile football matches and concerts.

Immigration has become the dominant political issue in Britain, eclipsing concerns over a faltering economy, as the country faces a record number of asylum claims. More than 28,000 migrants have arrived in small boats across the English Channel so far this year.