More than 100,000 protesters have packed central London for the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally with the Metropolitan Police declaring “it is not possible” for more people to march towards parliament.
The Met Police confirmed “there was a very large turnout” with roughly 110,000 protesters gathering in central London.
“It is not possible for any more people to get into Bridge Street, Parliament Street or Whitehall,” the Met Police said on X.
“We’re working with organisers to provide exit routes for the crowds.
“We’d ask people to follow the organisers’ calls to remain calm.”
The police added that its officers were “having to intervene in multiple locations” to stop protesters from accessing “sterile areas”.
Police added that officers were also stopping protesters from breaching police cordons or getting to opposing groups.
“A number of officers have been assaulted,” the Met Police said.
More than 100,000 have gathered in central London for the rally
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MET POLICE
Police said when protesters attempted to enter the sterile area on Whitehall “officers were attacked with projectiles”.
“(They) have had to use force to avoid their cordon being breached,” the Met added.
A counter-protest set off from Russell Square and headed to the northern end of Whitehall via Aldwych and the Strand.
Roughly 1,600 officers have been deployed across London on Saturday to deal with the rally and counter-protest and give Premier League football matches.
The counter-protest gathering in central London
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MET POLICE
According to the Met Police, 500 officers were brought in from other forces, and around 1,000 will be “responsible for ensuring that two demonstrations in central London take place safely”.
The “Unite the Kingdom” march began at 1pm and headed towards Whitehall where a rally took place.
Tommy Robinson, also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, organised the protest, which he labelled the UK’s biggest free speech festival.
He posted on X that it “wasn’t a time for riots”.
“It’s not a time for violence,” Mr Robinson said.
“It’s a time where you come and you stand proudly for your country.
“This is an imperative message and an important message: we have to control ourselves.”
The Commander in charge of the public order policing operation in London, Clair Haynes, said the Met was “used to delivering the sort of complex and large-scale policing operation that is required to keep the public safe”.
“We have a detailed plan to do so on Saturday,” she said prior to the rally.
“The main focus of the operation is on the two protests in central London.
“We will approach them as we do any other protests.
“Policing without fear or favour, ensuring people can exercise their lawful rights, but being robust in dealing with incidents or offences should they occur.”