Cops called the violence they faced ‘wholly unacceptable’
AT LEAST 25 protesters have been arrested in London after 150,000 people turned up to a Tommy Robinson rally in the capital.
Violence erupted across the capital with 26 riot cops injured, including four seriously, after being punched, kicked and attacked with projectiles, the Met police confirmed.
One was left with broken teeth as another was sent to hospital for a possible broken nose and concussion.
Surging crowds headed to Whitehall, central London, this afternoon for the “Unite the Kingdom” march as the numbers far exceeded what the police had been expecting.
More than 1,600 officers had been deployed to the capital on Saturday afternoon, with the Met calling in hundreds of officers from across the country.
Cops faced “significant aggression” as protesters descended on London.
Projectiles were launched as clashes broke out as certain individuals tried to enter a designated “safe space” and reach counter Stand Up To Racism protesters.
A statement from the Met said: “When officers intervened to block their path they were assaulted with kicks and punches.
“Bottles, flares and other projectiles were also thrown and concerted attempts to get past barriers were made.”
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist added: “Officers went into today’s operation knowing it would be busy and potentially challenging.
“There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence.
“They confronted officers, engaging in physical and verbal abuse and making a determined effort to breach cordons in place to keep everyone safe.
“The violence they faced was wholly unacceptable.
“26 officers were injured, including four seriously – among them broken teeth, a possible broken nose, a concussion, a prolapsed disc and a head injury.
“The 25 arrests we have made so far is just the start. Our post-event investigation has already begun.
“We are identifying those who were involved in the disorder and they can expect to face robust police action in the coming days and weeks.”
Dozens of Robinson’s pals spoke at the rally including Ant Middleton, Laurence Fox and Katie Hopkins.
Elon Musk even appeared via video link as he congratulated Robinson for “putting together an amazing event”.
Asked by Robinson why he was supporting the event, South African-born Musk said: “I’m of primarily British heritage, British ancestry.
“I want Britain to be greater than it ever has been, I want Britain to remain Britain, there’s something beautiful about being British.
“What I see happening is a destruction of Britain, initially slow erosion but a rapidly increasing erosion with massive uncontrolled migration.
“The Government has failed in its duty to protect the people.”
It ended just after 6:35pm – running over by 35 minutes – as Robinson urged the crowds to thank the police as they left.
Thousands left peacefully but dozens remained for some time at the scene around Nelson’s Column.
Afterwards Robinson posted on X as he claimed millions attended the march.
Cops said the real number sat somewhere in between 110,000 to 150,000.
The far-right activist continued: “We came, we saw, we conquered.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15178879/tommy-robinson-leads-far-right-march-met-london/
