Thousands march in London in support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson

LONDON AP Thousands of demonstrators packed London streets for several blocks Saturday for a march organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson The Unite the Kingdom rally got underway as much smaller numbers of counterprotesters organized by the Stand Up To Racism group were gathered under the banner of the March Against Fascism More than police officers were on duty to patrol the dueling demonstrations and there was a buffer zone to keep the two from engaging with each other near the halls of cabinet Robinson whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and is known for his nationalist and anti-migrant views billed the march as a demonstration for free speech and also announced it was in defense of British heritage and heritage The marches come at a time when the U K has been riven by debate over immigrants overcoming the English Channel in overcrowded inflatable boats to arrive on shore without authorization Numerous anti-migrant protests were held this summer outside hotels housing asylum-seekers following the arrest of an Ethiopian man who was later convicted of sexually assaulting a -year-old girl in a London suburb Specific of those protests became violent and led to arrests Participants in the Unite the Kingdom march carried the St George s red-and-white flag of England and the union jack the state flag of the United Kingdom and chanted we want our country back U K flags have proliferated this summer across the U K at events and on village lampposts in what several have mentioned is a show of national pride and others noted reflects a tilt toward nationalism Chosen Robinson supporters held signs saying stop the boats send them home and enough is enough save our children At the counterprotest the crowd held signs saying refugees welcome and smash the far right and shouted stand up fight back Robinson supporters chanted crude refrains about U K Prime Minister Keir Starmer and also shouted messages of endorsement for slain U S conservative activist Charlie Kirk One demonstrator held a sign saying Freedom of speech is dead RIP Charlie Kirk Robinson had planned a Unite the Kingdom rally last October but couldn t attend after being jailed for contempt of court for violating a High Court order barring him from repeating libelous charges against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him He previously served jail time for assault and mortgage fraud Robinson founded the nationalist and anti-Islamist English Defence League and is one of the preponderance influential far-right figures in Britain He urged followers not to wear masks drink booze or get violent Source