Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of central London on Saturday, May 16, for two simultaneous and politically opposed demonstrations — a pro-Palestinian march marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, and a far-right rally led by activist Tommy Robinson, whose legal name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said the policing operation cost £4.5 million, with 4,000 officers deployed across the city in what authorities described as an unprecedented public order response.
Organisers of the Nakba 78 march said approximately 250,000 people attended, making it, in their estimation, ten times larger than the Unite the Kingdom demonstration led by Robinson. The Metropolitan Police did not issue its own crowd figures, having previously estimated 50,000 at the Unite the Kingdom march and 30,000 at the Nakba rally. Robinson, addressing supporters on X, claimed “millions of patriots” had attended his event and described it as “the largest patriotic display the world has ever seen.”
The two demonstrations ran along separate routes under strict police conditions. The Nakba 78 march, formally titled “Nakba 78/United Against Tommy Robinson and the Far Right,” assembled at Exhibition Road in Kensington and proceeded via Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, and Pall Mall to a rally at Waterloo Place. The Unite the Kingdom march occupied central Whitehall, Parliament Square, and Trafalgar Square — a routing that drew criticism from parliamentarians who argued those sites had been denied to pro-Palestinian organisers despite the Nakba march’s historically larger turnout.
By 4.30pm, the Metropolitan Police announced 31 arrests in relation to the protests. By 7.30pm that number had risen to 43, a Met spokesperson confirmed, with four officers assaulted — none seriously — and six subjected to hate crime offences.
An Assertive Policing Posture
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Harman, speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, May 13, said officers were “committed to taking a more assertive approach to chanting and the displaying of phrases on placards or banners that incite hatred or indicate support for terrorism or other forms of extremism.” He added: “In recent months, we’ve arrested and charged people for calling for intifada at protests and a number of those cases are going through the courts.”
The Metropolitan Police published conditions under the Public Order Act requiring both march organisers and speakers to ensure their content did not stir up racial or religious hatred. For the first time in a British protest policing operation, live facial recognition technology was deployed — positioned in a Camden area expected to see heavy foot traffic from Unite the Kingdom attendees, but not directly on either official march route, according to ITV News.
Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner Professor William Webster cautioned that the use of the technology carried legal risk. He said police forces could find themselves taken to court over its use, noting that the system is not “foolproof,” ITV News reported.
Alongside the officers on foot, armoured vehicles, police horses, dogs, drones, and helicopters were all deployed. Officers were additionally tasked with policing the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium between Chelsea and Manchester City, which kicked off at 3pm — adding a third major public order commitment to the same day.
Two Rallies, Sharply Different Messages
At the Nakba Day rally, speakers addressed the crowd on both Palestinian solidarity and domestic politics. Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, speaking as co-founder of Your Party, told the crowd that Westminster required a change in “policy” not “personalities,” in a reference to an emerging leadership challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “Whatever happens to Keir Starmer, I don’t know if he’s going to survive the coup,” Corbyn said, according to ITV News.
Labour MP John McDonnell told Middle East Eye that the Nakba Day march “is especially important because the genocide in Gaza is continuing, and because the far-right are marching in London.” He added: “What we need to do now is continue to pressure our government to show solid and committed action, as it is still supplying arms to Israel and refusing to undertake effective sanctions on it.”
At the Unite the Kingdom rally, Robinson thanked the Metropolitan Police at the conclusion of his speech and asked supporters to “show them some respect” on their way home, according to ITV News. He also led chants supporting US entrepreneur Elon Musk. Thousands gathered in counter-demonstration to the Unite the Kingdom march, carrying placards bearing Robinson’s image alongside the slogan “Stop Islamophobia. Stop the far right,” and chanting “we will smash the far right.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, ahead of Saturday’s events, said both marches should be treated identically by police. “The Unite the Kingdom rally on Saturday should be treated no differently to the pro-Palestinian march on the same day,” he told GB News. “In previous years, Nakba Day protests have included expressions of support for banned terrorist organisations such as Hamas, which is a criminal offence. This must be stopped and dealt with to avoid accusations of two-tier policing.”
Background
The Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” refers to the displacement of approximately 700,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and the establishment of the State of Israel. May 15 is observed annually as Nakba Day by Palestinians and their supporters worldwide; the London march fell on May 16 this year. The Palestine Coalition has organised more than 33 large protests in the UK since October 2023, according to the Metropolitan Police. A separate Unite the Kingdom rally held in September 2025 saw far-right protesters attack police and chant anti-Muslim slogans, resulting in 23 arrests, Middle East Eye reported. Saturday’s demonstration was the first major pro-Palestinian march since Prime Minister Starmer called on April 30 for the prosecution of people who chant “globalise the intifada” — a move condemned by pro-Palestinian groups. The government also blocked 11 foreign nationals, described by Starmer as “far-right agitators,” from entering the United Kingdom ahead of the Unite the Kingdom rally, ITV News reported.
What Happens Next
The Metropolitan Police have said prosecutors are to consider whether protest placards, banners, and chants viewed on social media from Saturday’s events may constitute offences of stirring up hatred, according to the Press Association. The 43 individuals arrested during the twin demonstrations face processing through the courts alongside those charged in earlier protest-related cases. The deployment of live facial recognition at a public order event sets a precedent that Commissioner Professor Webster has indicated is likely to face legal challenge. A number of cases arising from intifada chanting at previous marches are already moving through the courts, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Harman confirmed on May 13. The Palestine Coalition is expected to continue its protest schedule; the Metropolitan Police noted it has had to intervene to change the route for 21 of the 33 Palestinian marches organised since October 2023.
