At least 31 people have been arrested during the day this Saturday in London, where there have been of the big ones one pro-Palestinian and another far-right, on a day that also coincides with the celebration of the football FA Cup final.
“So far there have been 31 arrests in the entire operation. We will provide more details when it concludes. Although it may seem high, so far the two demonstrations have taken place without major incidents,” the London Metropolitan Police reported.
The Police has deployed about 4,000 agents to guarantee security during the day of protests, with a demonstration called by the far-right politician Tommy Robinson and another called to remember the Day of the Nakba or Palestinian Disaster.
Robinson has proposed a march under the slogan Let’s Unite the Kingdom between Kingsway and Parliament Square and thousands of people have supported the protest, many of them displaced from outside London.
In his speech, Robinson has appealed to prepare for “the Battle of Britain” in reference to the upcoming elections. “We are not asking anyone to go out and fight, but because this is the most important moment of our generation,” he argued. That is why he has called to get involved, mobilize, become “activists” because, otherwise, “we are going to lose our homeland forever.”
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is known for his radical anti-Islamic speech, as he believes that a Muslim person cannot be English and that Islam is a threat to the country. He also denounces a decline in British culture due to and especially criticizes the policies of Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the Labor Party.
Nakba demonstration
People raise flags and light flares near Knightsbridge as they take part in the 78th anniversary of the Nakba.
On the other hand, tens of thousands of people – 250,000, according to the organizers – have attended the demonstration for Nakba Day or Palestinian Catastrophe, coinciding with the anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel and the forced expulsion of the Palestinian population.
“We want to live in a society of respect and harmony”
One of the speakers at the end of the march was former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, who stressed that there was no “underlying anti-Semitism” in the demonstration and highlighted the presence of “many Jews.” “We want to live in a society of respect and harmony,” he stated.
The leader of Your Party has mentioned the right-wing parties that came out this Saturday at the far-right demonstration. “The people of Reforma and the extreme right who attack us and our communities so much with hatred cannot manage to divide us,” he stated.
Corbyn warns that the “hatred“of the far right “does not serve to build social housing, to improve hospitals, to teach a single child or to end the life of someone homeless on the streets of London.” Instead it advocates “a change in economic, social and international policy.”
Corbyn has also referred to Keir Starmer’s precarious situation as prime minister and leader of the Labor Party. “I don’t know if he will survive the (state) coup. (Starmer) knows something about (state) coups. I know about coups. I know what is happening,” he argued. In any case, he believes that the Labor Party needs a change in “policy”, not “names”.
The Minister of Justice, David Lammy, has warned that the authorities will intervene “quickly“if violence occurs during these demonstrations. In addition, he has criticized the far-right call for “spreading hatred and division.”
“They are not a reflection of the United Kingdom of which I am so proud. Peaceful protest is a fundamental right and I will always protect it, but if the protest leads to violence, we will act quickly,” he warned.
