Thousands gather in London as police brace for protests
Thousands of people have gathered in London for a rally organised by activist Tommy Robinson.
The “Unite the Kingdom” event takes place in Whitehall on Saturday afternoon but huge crowds have already massed near Waterloo Station with people wearing and waving union flags and the St George cross.
Meanwhile, a counter-protest, dubbed March Against Fascism, organised by Stand Up To Racism (SUTR), is also due to take place in the city on Saturday.
Around 1,000 officers will be deployed in London in a bid to prevent clashes between protesters with opposing views.
Police have confirmed they are not using facial recognition technology for the Unite the Kingdom demonstration although a mobile CCTV unit is in place.
The Metropolitan Police have also urged Muslim Londoners to go about the city as normal and not change any plans amid suggestions of potential safety concerns from the right-wing event.
Commander Clair Haynes, who is in charge of the public order policing operation in London this weekend, said: “We recognise that there are particular concerns for many in London’s Muslim communities ahead of the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ protest given the record of anti-Muslim rhetoric and incidents of offensive chanting by a minority at previous marches.
“There have been some suggestions that Muslim Londoners should change their behaviour this Saturday, including not coming into town. That is not our advice.
“Everyone should be able to feel safe travelling into and around London.”
The Unite the Kingdom march and rally organised by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, began in Stamford Street near Waterloo Bridge with crowds building since mid-morning.
The crowds will march towards the southern end of Whitehall.
The SUTR protest will form up in Russell Square from midday before marching via Kingsway, Aldwych and the Strand to the northern end of Whitehall for a rally.
The march will be led by hundreds of women, SUTR said, including independent MP Diane Abbott.
Both demonstrations will be separated by barriers with a “sterile area” to minimise the risk of clashes between the groups.
The Unite the Kingdom event has been described by Robinson as “the UK’s biggest free speech festival” and is set to hear from speakers including US President Donald Trump’s former strategist Steve Bannon and presenter Katie Hopkins.
Robinson has called on attendees of his rally to not wear masks, drink alcohol or be violent.
Strict conditions will be imposed under the Public Order Act on where and when campaigners can protest, the Met said, with the SUTR event ending at 4pm and the Unite the Kingdom event finishing at 6pm.
Five Premier League football matches are also set to take place on Saturday, including derbies between West Ham and Tottenham, and Brentford and Chelsea.
More than 1,600 officers will be deployed in total across the city, with 500 brought in from other forces, the Metropolitan Police said.
By PA reporters