Large crowds on Westminster Bridge (Image: X)
A bitter dispute over crowd numbers has erupted after far-right activist Tommy Robinson claimed his Unite the Kingdom rally drew “three million patriots” to London’s streets, calling it the largest protest in British history. Police estimates, however, put attendance at a great deal lower, at about 110,000 – a figure Mr Robinson denounced as a deliberate undercount by “legacy media”.
The Metropolitan Police reported 110,000 participants in the main anti-immigration demonstration on Saturday, alongside roughly 5,000 anti-racism counter-protesters organised by Stand Up to Racism. Reuters, The New York Times, and CNBC cited similar figures of “over 100,000” or “about 110,000.” Aerial analysis by The Guardian suggested a lower figure of 50,000, while France 24 estimated as high as 150,000 – an outlier amid the consensus.
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Unite the Kingdom march: Police push back protesters
Averaging the estimates gives roughly 104,000 attendees, highlighting the gap between organisers’ claims and verifiable counts.
Mr Robinson’s past demonstrations, such as the 2018 Free Tommy march, drew police-verified crowds of around 15,000, while Stand Up to Racism’s national events typically see 10,000–20,000 participants by organisers’ claims, often halved by police.
Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, stoked the debate online. Early Saturday, he tweeted: “I’m hearing police estimate 3 million patriots on the streets.”
By midday, he posted a video proclaiming: “MILLIONS HAVE TURNED UP FOR OUR UNITE THE KINGDOM EVENT!!!! This is the biggest protest in British history.”
Police contain supporters of Tommy Robinson at the top end of Whitehall (Image: Getty Images)
Later, as the march peaked, he added: “Over THREE million patriots hit central London today in a force of patriotism never seen before. And we’re just getting started.”
The claims gained traction online, with Mr Robinson’s posts amassing millions of views. One update read: “WE HAVE NOW HIT TWO AND A HALF MILLION VIEWS ON X!!!” – conflating digital reach with physical turnout.
Supporters hailed a “patriotic tsunami,” but critics pushed back.
Drone footage shared by Mr Robinson, timestamped an hour before peak, showed dense but contained crowds, likely far below the millions claimed.
Tommy Robinson attends the Unite The Kingdom rally (Image: Getty Images)
After the event, Mr Robinson attacked mainstream media. Responding to The Guardian’s 110,000 figure, he wrote: “The Guardian reported ‘110k’ at our London rally today.
“Yet, they literally had their own helicopter showing the millions of patriots. Legacy media is proving again they’ll just lie to your face for their own agenda.
“This is why nobody trusts them. We are the media now.” The post reached over 22 million views.”
Police rejected the three million claim as impossible, citing London’s infrastructure. A Met spokesperson said: “We had 1,000 officers on duty managing routes, and our counts are based on real-time monitoring.”
While the event far exceeded recent anti-immigration flare-ups, it fell short of historic benchmarks like the 2003 anti-Iraq War march, which drew 1.5 million.
Tensions at the rally resulted in nine arrests and 26 officers injured by bottles and flares. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the clashes as “thuggery,” while Mr Robinson blamed “antifa infiltrators.” Elon Musk weighed in on X, urging protesters to “Fight back or die.”
The rally also featured tributes to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was fatally shot during a debate at Utah Valley University on September 10.
The disputed numbers underscore wider fractures in Britain’s protest scene. Mr Robinson framed the rally as opposition to “mass migration” and “Islamist threats,” promising “the fight continues.”