On Saturday, police said a total of 31 arrests had been made at the Unite the Kingdom and Nakba Day protests in London.

The Metropolitan Police posted on X: “The rallies for both protests are ongoing. There have so far been 31 arrests across the whole operation. We will provide a more detailed breakdown at the conclusion. While this may seem high, to this point both protests have proceeded largely without significant incident.”

Police said the arrests were for a “variety of offences”, as officers faced an “unprecedented” security operation to prevent clashes between the two marches.

However, an organiser of the Nakba Day pro-Palestine rally said its attendees had outnumbered those at Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom protest. Stand Up To Racism joint secretary Sabby Dhalu said the protest was “much bigger” than the Robinson rally in Parliament Square, and warned the crowd not to attempt to leave the rally early for “safety reasons”.

Former Labour MP Diane Abbott, who addressed the crowd in Pall Mall, stated:

“They are viciously right-wing, viciously racist, they are anti-black, anti-Muslim, and viciously anti-semitic. We have to come together… to fight the racists, to fight the fascists, to fight the anti-semites. But we will come together, we will support each other. We are going to move forward and ultimately we will triumph.”

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told supporters at the pro-Palestine rally in Pall Mall, which also appeared to become a broader demonstration in opposition to all forms of bigotry, that Westminster needs a change of leadership.

He stated: “To those in Reform and the far right that do so much to attack us all and attack our communities, your hatred can succeed in dividing people, but your hatred will not build one council house, will not improve one hospital, will not teach one child, will not end somebody’s homeless life on the streets of London."

“The only thing that can change that is a change of economic, social, and international policy – that’s what brings us together.”

Reports stated that the Unite the Kingdom march appeared to be predominantly male and white, although there were a few families in attendance, as well as some people of colour."

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In several videos circulating online, many protesters in Robinson’s camp can be seen holding crosses and signs related to Christianity. Some appeared dressed as crusader-style knights, while one man held a mock medieval shield bearing a cross.

In another video, an older man can be seen wearing a suit adorned entirely with British flags, while others held signs reading “we want our country back” and “Make England Great Again (MEGA)”, a slogan echoing Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, which has been heavily publicly associated by critics with racism, xenophobia, and discriminatory ideology.

In another apparent US political reference, Robinson praised tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk. Robinson stated:

“None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for one man...Thank you Elon on behalf of Great Britain.”

Others carried flags in opposition to the Iranian regime, while many heckled Keir Starmer, branding him a failure. With the day coming to an end, more details will likely emerge about exactly how the day unfolded.