Tommy Robinson tells tens of thousands at London rally to prepare for battle of Britain'

"Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, drew tens of thousands of supporters on to the streets of central London for the second year running in an event where Islamophobic and ethnonationalist hate speech and flyers were distributed to the crowds. Organisers claimed that millions had attended his Unite the Kingdom march, but police estimated the number of demonstrators to be far lower, at about 60,000. Last September's march was attended by 150,000 people."

"Robinson, who gained prominence as the founder of the anti-Islam English Defence League, told crowds gathered in Parliament Square that the rally was a turning point for Britain. He encouraged his supporters to move beyond street protest and fighting and become involved in local politics before the next general election. The campaign group Hope Not Hate said that, while the protest appeared to have attracted fewer demonstrators than the previous rally, the scale of Robinson's movement remained deeply worrying."

"It added: Today's numbers still dwarf anything ever managed by the English Defence League and hundreds of thousands more watched the livestream online. While it looks like the movement's growth may have stalled, it still remains a significant threat. The Metropolitan police said it had spent 4.5m policing the march and a separate pro-Palestinian demonstration which ended in Waterloo."

"There were about 4,000 officers on duty. Armoured vehicles, dogs, drones and helicopters were also deployed throughout the afternoon. The force said that, as of 4.30pm on Saturday, it had made 31 arrests across both events. It said it would provide a more detailed breakdown when the marches had concluded. A spokesperson added: While this may seem high, to this point both protests have proceeded largely without significant incident."

Tommy Robinson, also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, led a rally in central London drawing tens of thousands of supporters for a second consecutive year. Organisers claimed millions attended the Unite the Kingdom march, while police estimated about 60,000 demonstrators, down from 150,000 last September. The event included Islamophobic and ethnonationalist hate speech and flyers distributed to crowds. Robinson told supporters gathered in Parliament Square that the rally was a turning point for Britain and encouraged moving beyond street protest and fighting into local politics before the next general election. Hope Not Hate said the movement remained deeply worrying despite fewer demonstrators. Metropolitan police reported spending £4.5m, deploying about 4,000 officers and additional equipment, and making 31 arrests across both events.

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