The rival protests triggered an ‘unprecedented’ police operation which saw 4,000 officers deployed to the streets of the capital.
Vandals were photographed lighting flares after climbing a Winston Churchill statue during a protest in London on Saturday (May 16). It came as the Metropolitan Police deployed 4,000 officers to tackle two major protests in the capital, with helicopters and drones also used to watch proceedings from the skies.
The force confirmed 43 people were arrested across the Unite the Kingdom rally, led by far-Right activist Tommy Robinson, and a pro-Palestine demo to mark Nakba Day. Police said 20 of those arrested were affiliated with the Unite the Kingdom rally, which attracted around 50,000 protesters, while 12 were involved in the Nakba protest which involved around 30,000 demonstrators. Meanwhile, the other 11 people arrested were either not linked with either group or their affiliations could not be determined by police.
Protesters involved in the far-right rally were spotted climbing the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square, Westminster, before setting off flares. The iconic bronze monument, which stands 12 feet tall atop an 8-foot plinth, was unveiled by Churchill’s widow, Clementine, in 1973.
In a post on X, police confirmed 11 people were arrested for hate crime offences. Of those, nine were affiliated to the Unite the Kingdom rally while two were linked to Nakba.
A total of 43 people were arrested across the two rallies (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The force added: “They included offences motivated by race, religion, sexuality and disability. A further seven hate crime offences remain under investigation with outstanding suspects. All are from the Nakba protest.”
They continued: “Three arrests were as a result of the use of live facial recognition. All three were people wanted for failing to appear at court. None were affiliated to the protests taking place the same day.”
In their breakdown of the far-right rally, police said one person was arrested for previous GBH, one for a previous telecommunications offence, 10 for public order offences, one for ABH, three for being drunk and disorderly, two for assaulting an emergency worker, one for criminal damage, and one for possession of an offensive weapon.
The Winston Churchill statue was unveiled in Parliament Square in 1973 (Image: Jack Dredd/Shutterstock)
Meanwhile, at the Nakba rally, three were arrested for breaching Section 14 Public Order Act conditions, one for a previous common assault, one for supporting a proscribed organisation, three for public order offences, three for failing to remove a face covering and one for assaulting an emergency worker.
At the Unite the Kingdom protest, ralliers set through London and listened to speeches from the likes of Tommy Robinson, Ant Middleton and Laurence Fox. Meanwhile the Nakba Day rally, which refers to the displacement of Palestinians who fled from their homes during the war surrounding Israel‘s creation in 1948-49, saw demonstrators wearing keffiyehs hold signs reading slogans such as “smash the far right” and “Free Palestinian Hostages”.
The rival protests triggered an “unprecedented” police operation which is reported to have cost around £4.5 million. As well as officers from the Met Police, an additional 600 cops from around the country were also drafted in to keep the demonstrators apart.