London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Police search for man who called for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s assassination at London far-right rally; 26 officers injured and 24 arrests made so far.
As reported by The Guardian, authorities are searching for a man who called for Labour leader Keir Starmer’s killing in London, with more arrests expected after violence.
What happened at the far-right rally and how are police responding?
A “Unite the Kingdom” protest led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew 110,000 attendees, described as a “klaxon call” by a minister.
The Metropolitan Police said 26 officers were hurt during clashes. They also arrested 24 people for assault and violent disorder.
The forces said a post-incident investigation is underway, aiming to identify others involved for possible arrests.
Police said the average age of those arrested was 39, with the youngest 19 and the oldest 58. Three of those arrested were women.
Authorities are seeking a man who, on camera, said “Keir Starmer needs to be assassinated” and “someone needs to shoot Keir Starmer,” whose remarks were published online.
A Met spokesperson stated,
“We’re aware of a video circulating on social media from the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ protest on Saturday, 13 September in central London. Officers are investigating and enquiries are ongoing to identify a man.”
Unite the Kingdom rally in London
Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, led the protest. He spoke to the crowd alongside other far-right figures.
Promised speakers Steve Bannon, former Donald Trump strategist, and Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson did not appear.
Elon Musk, owner of X, addressed the rally by video, saying Britain faced “destruction” due to “massive uncontrolled migration” and called for parliament’s dissolution.
Ben Habib, ex-Reform UK deputy leader, appeared on the same stage and is launching a rival party, Advance UK, with Robinson said to be a member. The event included European far-right figures such as Éric Zemmour and parliamentarians from Denmark and Germany.
Counter-extremism group Hope Not Hate described it as Britain’s largest far-right protest ever.
They said,
“Seeing such a big crowd cheering speeches that called for banning all public expression of non-Christian religions, demanded the ‘remigration’ of legal migrants, pushed Covid conspiracy theories, and claimed Britain is being ‘invaded’ and its population ‘replaced’ is unprecedented.”
What did Peter Kyle say about the protest and immigration concerns?
Business Secretary Peter Kyle called the protest turnout a “klaxon call” for authorities to tackle immigration and public concerns.
He said,
“What worries me most is the divisions in our society and other societies and other democratic societies … it’s not even the left and the right at the moment.”
Mr Kyle stated,
“There are communities that are being driven further apart, and there are figures such as Tommy Robinson that is able to touch into a sense of disquiet and grievance in the community in our society.”
The business secretary said much of the unrest stemmed from the financial crisis and its impact on communities.
He added,
“So I think these are moments that are klaxon calls to us in public life to redouble our efforts to address the big concerns that people right across our country have, and immigration is a big concern.”
Injuries at far-right and anti-racism protests
The far-right rally was met by a counter-protest. Organisers said 15,000–20,000 people joined the counter-protest. They added that some counter-protesters were attacked and hit by far-right participants.
Police had to separate Robinson supporters who blocked counter-protesters in Whitehall, splitting the demonstration into two parts.
Key details about Tommy Robinson
Tommy Robinson co-founded the EDL and continues anti-immigration campaigns. He has convictions for assault, fraud, stalking, and contempt of court.
He organises rallies, connects with international far-right figures, and maintains a strong presence on X. His activities keep him influential in far-right circles.