Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march has been trolled by anti-Brexit political campaign group Led By Donkeys. The group, founded in 2018 by four dads who all have links to Greenpeace, shared a video that revealed they ‘sneaked’ the electronic screen into today’s march.
Protest Details
Police estimated that around 60,000 attended the central London march, organised by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. The far-right figure, who shot to notoriety in the early 2010s as the founder of the anti-Islam English Defence League, told the crowd to prepare for the ‘battle of Britain’ and that the Parliament Square event was a ‘turning point for Britain’.
The Stunt
Unbeknownst to the crowds, Led By Donkeys, whose politics are opposed to Robinson’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, was about to unfurl their own satirical stunt. It came in the form of an electronic screen, which at face value appeared in keeping with the day’s patriotic, British-first mantra. While projecting a Union Jack flag drew little notice initially, pro-migration messages began gradually appearing.
One statement said: ‘Immigration makes Britain brilliant.’ This drew double takes from several passing Unite the Kingdom protesters, especially as the word ‘brilliant’ repeatedly flashed. The wording then moved to the edges and over a Union Jack flag it cut to a clip of the late singer George Michael, whose father was a Cypriot immigrant, singing the Wham! classic Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.
As the music continued, it cut to a series of British stars who were born abroad or who had immediate family who emigrated to the UK. The montage began with Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah, who was born in Somalia, and singer Dua Lipa, whose Kosovan Albanian parents came to the UK in the 1990s after Yugoslavia fell apart. At this point, more protesters realised what was going on and started to jeer as the screen cut to Star Wars actor John Boyega, who is of Nigerian descent.
England cricketer Moeen Ali, whose grandfather was from Kashmir, Luther and Wire actor Idris Elba, whose parents emigrated to the UK from Sierra Leone, and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, whose parents were Indian Gujarati, also made an appearance. Other stars included singer Rita Ora, who was born in Kosovo, Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill, whose father is Jamaican, and Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, a second-generation British Bangladeshi. British Indian actor Ben Kingsley and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, who has Kenyan heritage, were the final stars to take to the screen.
As the crowd’s outrage grew in volume and venom, it ended with the message: ‘If you go back far enough… We’re all immigrants.’ At this point, a line of police officers stood in front of the screen as images of various famous Brits, including Queen Elizabeth II, Three Lions captain Harry Kane and wartime leader Winston Churchill, appeared. One man can be heard to scream ‘smash it up’ as the screen was filled with various famous Brits of all colours and creeds before it went back to just displaying the Union Jack.
At this point, police officers can be seen looking at the screen for a way to switch it off in an apparent attempt to pacify the situation. They were without success, initially at least, which prompted the increasingly angry crowd to chant ‘off’. When the montage ended, the screen mockingly told protesters to ‘stay hydrated’. This message lasted for several seconds before the original message about immigration making ‘Britain brilliant’ began again before the recording cut.
Police Response
It is not currently known how long the video played for before it was switched off. The Met deployed around 4,000 officers to police this event as well as a counter-demonstration, which was attended by Stand Up To Racism, and the FA Cup final at Wembley. Before the speeches, crowds waved flags with pro-Trump slogans, and ‘Jesus is the way of life’. A strong smell of cannabis was observed and many appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, Metro saw.
When he addressed the crowd, Robinson endorsed Reform, Restore and the Conservative Party. He said: ‘I’m going to tell you that you have to join a political party. I don’t care if it’s Reform, if it’s Advance, or it’s Restore, or it’s the Conservative Party. We have to locally get involved in politics.’ Photos of Donald Trump also received widespread applause. However, when Robinson mentioned embattled Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s name, loud boos rang through the crowd.
In a statement at 7.30pm, the Met said there were 43 arrests at the two protests and an additional 22 at the FA Cup Final. ‘Four officers were assaulted today, fortunately, none seriously,’ it said. ‘A further six officers were subjected to hate crime offences.’ London mayor Sadiq Khan thanked the Met officers for all their hard work as the protests appeared to wind down. In an apparent barb at Robinson’s march, he added: ‘Londoners will always reject those who seek to divide our communities.’
