LONDON: London police have pledged to make additional arrests following violent clashes at one of Britain’s largest far-right protests.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed 24 arrests after officers faced what they described as “unacceptable violence” while managing up to 150,000 attendees at the anti-immigration rally organised by activist Tommy Robinson.
This figure represented a reduction of two arrests from earlier reports due to what police termed “two duplicate records” in their initial count.
A total of 26 police officers sustained injuries during the clashes, with four suffering serious wounds at the fringes of Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” rally in central London.
Those arrested included three women and 21 men, ranging in age from 19 to 58 years old according to police records.
Alleged offences included common assault, criminal damage, assault on emergency workers, and possession of offensive weapons, with multiple suspects facing more than one charge.
Police announced a comprehensive post-event investigation to identify additional participants involved in the disorder for future arrests.
The violence erupted when some rally attendees attempted to enter restricted areas near counter-protesters from a recently concluded Stand Up to Racism march nearby.
Officers reported being assaulted with kicks and punches while bottles, flares and other projectiles were thrown at them during the confrontation.
Protesters had marched across Westminster Bridge before gathering near Downing Street for speeches by far-right figures from Europe and North America, including Elon Musk.
The billionaire X owner delivered an incendiary address via video-link calling for parliament’s dissolution and replacement of the Labour government while warning that “violence is coming to you”.
Anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate described the event as unprecedented due to the large crowd cheering speeches demanding religious bans and migrant “remigration”.
The organisation expressed concern about the normalisation of anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiment, calling it a potential sign of troubling times ahead. – AFP