Rival London protests raise risk of unrest as 4,000 police deployed

Supporters of British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, wave flags as they take part in a march organised by Unite The Kingdom, in central London on May 16, 2026. Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS /AFP via Getty Images

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Two major protests are taking place in London, with the Metropolitan police warning it may be one of its busiest days in recent years.

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Tens of thousands of people are expected to march for Unite the Kingdom, an event arranged by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, and the annual pro-Palestine Nakba Day march.

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The Met is drafting more than 4,000 officers to police the two events, a scale of operation it said was “unprecedented in recent years,” over fears that far-right demonstrators may clash with pro-Palestine marchers if not kept apart. Officers are being equipped with riot gear and will have drones to scan for suspects, as well as the use of live facial recognition cameras.

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The protests come in the wake of growing concern over rising levels of hate crime, in particular antisemitism, in Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month that there may be a case for banning some protests, and people chanting slogans such as “globalise the intifada,” based on an Arabic word for uprising, should be prosecuted. He pledged to use the “full power of the state” to crack down on antisemitism in the wake of an April stabbing in North London where two Jewish men were hospitalized.

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“Fears in Jewish communities are particularly heightened, but we have also seen increased concerns more broadly, including in Muslim communities,” the Met’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said this week. “Taken together, these factors give us significant concern cause for concern heading into the weekend.”

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The terrorism threat level in the UK was raised to severe at the beginning of May, while the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall, has said antisemitism is now the “biggest national security emergency” in almost a decade.

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On Friday, the UK government banned 11 foreign far-right agitators from entering the country ahead of the Unite the Kingdom march planned for Saturday.

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Yaxley-Lennon’s previous Unite the Kingdom event last September drew at least 100,000 people, and Harman said while there were many peaceful attendees, there were also clashes with police and anti-Muslim hate speech incidents, with a number of arrests for violence made.

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Pressure on police is set to be exacerbated by the fact tens of thousands of football fans will also be in London on Saturday, heading to Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup Final.

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