Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in London for the "Unite the Kingdom" rally organized by anti-illegal immigration activist Tommy Robinson on Saturday, with attendance estimates by police significantly exceeding initial projections.
The event, billed as a demonstration for free speech and British heritage, was also a tribute to the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot at Utah Valley University, with demonstrators holding pictures and banners of him.
The event drew significant attention in part due to the presence of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who appeared via video link, and French populist politician Éric Zemmour, who spoke in French with a translator.
Musk condemned the UK government and called for the dissolution of parliament, while speakers slammed European leaders' immigration policies.
"I think there’s something beautiful about being British and what I see happening here is a destruction of Britain, initially a slow erosion but rapidly increasing erosion of Britain with massive uncontrolled migration," Musk said.
The Tesla chief criticized the government's failure to protect citizens, saying "the government has failed in its duty to protect innocent people including children who are getting gang-raped."
Musk called for immediate political change, declaring, "You can’t - we don’t have another four years, or whenever the next election is, it’s too long. Something’s got to be done. There’s got to be a dissolution of parliament and a new vote held." He also labeled the left as "the party of murder" following Charlie Kirk's death.
Robinson described the event as the "biggest freedom of speech" rally in British history and claimed the "silent majority will be silent no longer," declaring "the revolution has started - and you can't stop it."
The rally featured a mix of nationalist, Christian and anti-illegal immigration rhetoric, with attendees chanting "We want our country back!" and "[UK Prime Minister] Keir Starmer’s a wanker," and displaying Union Jacks, St. George’s Cross flags, and wooden crosses.
A violent far-left counter-protest of about 5,000 people, organized by 'Stand Up To Racism,' took place, leading to violent clashes with police, resulting in 26 officers being injured, including four seriously, and 25 arrests.
The rally included a tribute video to Charlie Kirk, featuring a viral clip of him giving advice to a 13-year-old girl at a Turning Point USA event. Demonstrators held signs with Kirk's image, including one reading "Freedom of speech is dead. RIP Charlie Kirk" and another with "Change my mind: RIP Charlie."
Robinson described Kirk as "one of our generation’s greatest" and a "godfather of campus conservatism" who inspired a generation.
A central theme of the rally was opposition to immigration, with Robinson claiming that courts had ruled the rights of undocumented migrants supersede those of the British public
He cited a Court of Appeal decision to overturn an injunction blocking asylum seekers being housed at The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, as evidence of this claim
The rally's focus on immigration was linked to the ongoing debate over migrants crossing the English Channel in overcrowded boats
Speakers like Zemmour slammed the "great replacement" of European people by those from the "south" and "Muslim culture," accusing the UK of being "colonised by our former colonies."
