Over 1,600 police have been deployed as Tommy Robinsons supporters and counter-protesters face off in the British capital

Thousands of demonstrators filled central London on Saturday for the "Unite the Kingdom" rally, led by right-wing activist Tommy Robinson. The Metropolitan Police deployed more than 1,600 officers across the city.

The event's official website described it as "the largest outdoor free speech event the UK has ever seen," featuring "truth-tellers" from across Europe and the US. Footage posted by Robinson on X shows people chanting the name of American conservative speaker Charlie Kirk, who was killed at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

Robinson urged supporters to remain peaceful: "It's not a time for riots. It's not a time for violence... We have to control ourselves."

The British left-wing group Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) organized a counter-protest named the "March Against Fascism," which began simultaneously. "We are united against the far-right threat," said Samira Ali, national organizer for SUTR.

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Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is a critic of Islam and mass immigration. He has drawn attention to the 'grooming gangs' scandal, in which groups of Asian men raped and tortured thousands of underage girls in towns across northern England over the last two decades. Almost all of the perpetrators were Pakistani men, and the victims white British girls.

The scandal returned to the spotlight in January, after tech billionaire Elon Musk accused UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to protect children. In June, Starmer ordered a nationwide inquiry into the authorities' handling of the matter, after his government had dismissed calls for action just months earlier.

(RT.com)