Thousands to march in parallel Nakba Day and far-right rallies in central London

Thousands to march in parallel Nakba Day and far-right rallies in central London Submitted by Daniel Tester on Sat, 05/16/2026 - 09:56 Police officers deployed in 'unprecedented' numbers to tackle multiple rallies, with extra powers to target activists Protesters gather to call for the ban on the Palestine Action group to be lifted during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square in central London on 11 April 2026 (Carlos Jasso/AFP) Off Tens of thousands of people are set to gather in central London on Saturday for a march marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba , which coincides with a separate protest organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson . The Metropolitan Police said it would deploy over 4,000 officers to police the two marches in an “unprecedented” public order operation, with protesters kept on separate routes.   The Nakba Day march is an annual demonstration organised by a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, commemorating the expulsion of more than 750,000 Palestinians from their land and the killing of over 13,000 others by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of Israel  in 1948. Meanwhile, more than 150,000 people attended a previous Unite the Kingdom  protest organised by Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, in September 2025.  Billed as a "people-led assembly focused on unity, awareness, and collective responsibility", last September's event saw far-right protesters attack police and chant anti-Muslim slogans, leading to 23 arrests. Both protests begin at noon, with the Unite the Kingdom set to march from Kingsway to Trafalgar Square. The Nakba 78 rally, which also applied ...

Original source: Middle East Eye