While the protest was arranged weeks ago as a rally for free speech, it turned into a show of force for a British variant of the “Make America Great Again” movement as protesters held up photographs of Kirk and chanted his name.
The protest organiser, controversial far-right activist Tommy Robinson, billed the event as a peaceful rally for free speech and branded it a “Unite the Kingdom” march.
A demonstrator stands on the head of one of the lions of Westminster Bridge during the protest on Saturday.Credit: AP
“The start of the revolution is on,” he said in a video. He claimed 3 million people attended the rally, but police said it ranged from 110,000 to 150,000.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has served five prison terms and was most recently jailed last October for contempt of court for making false allegations about a refugee despite an injunction.
He was arrested in August over allegations he punched a man at a London train station, but he was not charged because the alleged victim declined to make a statement to police.
Charlie Kirk speaks just before he was shot and killed at Utah Valley University.Credit: AP
Speakers at the Saturday rally included right-wing commentator Katie Hopkins, a former reality television contestant who was deported from Australia in 2021 for refusing to follow quarantine rules during the pandemic.
There was no endorsement, however, from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has split with Robinson because of his criminal convictions.
“We’re a political party aiming to win the next general election,” Farage said in January. “He’s not what we need.”
Musk, however, has strongly backed Robinson and attacked Farage earlier this year.
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Steve Bannon, a key adviser to US President Donald Trump, was said to be speaking at the event, after saying in an interview three days ago that the UK was heading toward a “civil war” where citizens fought the rise of what he called socialism. He did not appear.
The numbers proved too great for the streets around the Palace of Westminster, highlighting the scale of the far-right in Britain and drawing parallels with similar movements elsewhere in Europe.
The crowd heard from politicians from far-right German party Alternative für Deutschland, or AfD, as well as similar speakers from France and Denmark.
On a Saturday afternoon marked by sunshine and occasional rain, the crowd converged on Parliament Square in numbers that were larger than anticipated and put pressure on police lines created to ensure safe exits.
The Metropolitan Police said 26 officers were injured at the rally, with some of the protesters punching and kicking police, as well as throwing projectiles such as bottles and flares.
By the time the protest was over, the Met Police had made 25 arrests for offences including affray, violent disorder, assaults and criminal damage. Others were identified as having committed offences, and the police said, “we will find them” in coming days.
In a post before any signs of violence, the Met Police said they were using a mobile CCTV van to help monitor the crowd but were not using live facial recognition.
“We estimate the attendance at that event to have been between 110,000 to 150,000, significantly exceeding the estimates of organisers,” the police said.
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A rival protest organised by a group called Stand Up To Racism had at least 5000 people.
While the Met Police sent 1000 local officers to keep the peace, another 500 had to be drawn from outlying areas as support for the event appeared to grow in the wake of Kirk’s assassination.
Most of the violence appeared to come from Robinson’s supporters among the far-right, including reports that some threw bottles at female police on horseback, but there were also accounts of violence from anti-fascist protesters.
“There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence,” said Met Police assistant commissioner Matt Twist.
“The 25 arrests we have made so far is just the start.
“Our post-event investigation has already begun – 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.”
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