Tens of Thousands Attend Competing Unite the Kingdom and Nakba Day Rallies in London as Two Men Arrested

Police arrested two men at the Unite the Kingdom march in London on Saturday. Officers detained the pair in the vicinity of Euston station. They were wanted on suspicion of GBH following an incident in Birmingham where a man was run over.

The two men had been spotted arriving in London to attend the Unite the Kingdom protest. The arrests occurred as two major rallies unfolded in the capital on 2026-05-16. Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom event, organised by the activist and described by him as "the greatest patriotic display the world has ever seen," was expected to draw around 50,000 participants.

Some 30,000 more were set to march for Nakba Day, which marks the Nakba, a day of mourning for when Palestinians left or were expelled from the country after Israel declared independence in 1948. The Crown Prosecution Service issued new guidance on offensive banners, slogans, chants or symbols ahead of the Unite the Kingdom rally on 2026-05-16.

In a message yesterday afternoon the CPS made clear prosecutors would be cracking down on anyone stirring up hatred in the capital.

Prosecutors have been told to consider whether protest placards, banners and chants viewed on social media may amount to offences of stirring up hatred during the rallies. The CPS advice is designed to reflect the changing international context. The guidance tells prosecutors to consider heightened tensions linked to national or international events.

"Some chants may amount to a criminal offence," the CPS said. Sir Keir Starmer banned 11 foreign nationals from entering the UK who were due to speak at the Unite the Kingdom event. Downing Street claimed the move was intended to protect British communities from vile hate.

Speaking during a visit to a Metropolitan Police command centre in Lambeth on Friday, the Prime Minister criticised the Unite the Kingdom organisers for peddling hatred and division, plain and simple. Sir Keir Starmer carried out his visit to Lambeth alongside Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan before today's rallies.

GB News reported the sequence of events as both demonstrations proceeded in central London.

The CPS guidance forms part of preparations for the day's events. It directs prosecutors to weigh the potential for material viewed online to constitute stirring up hatred. The instructions apply to both the Unite the Kingdom gathering and the separate Nakba Day procession.