After 80,000 converge on London for rival demos... 43 are arrested but Met's £4.5million ring of steel keeps the peace

By MARK HOOKHAM, ASSISTANT EDITOR (INVESTIGATIONS) and ABUL TAHER SECURITY CORRESPONDENT Published: 00:25, 17 May 2026 | Updated: 00:25, 17 May 2026 Police made 43 arrests on Saturday amid a crackdown against those spewing hate, as 80,000 protesters at rival demonstrations brought chaos to central London. Around 4,000 officers were deployed in a ring-of-steel following a £4.5million operation to tackle the Unite the Kingdom rally, led by far-Right activist Tommy Robinson, and a pro-Palestine march. Fears of violence did not materialise, with the number of protesters at both rallies significantly less than at previous demonstrations. Although the Unite the Kingdom gathering assembled in Parliament Square, 900 yards from the pro-Palestine rally in Pall Mall, the two groups were separated by a line of police vans and riot police. Despite Keir Starmer's pledge to crack down on protesters chanting or displaying anti-Semitic slogans, some attending the annual pro-Palestine 'Nakba Day' march – which refers to the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 during the founding of Israel – chanted 'Death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]'. One woman screamed 'Smash the Zionist settler state', while another protester brandished a sign with the slogan 'Martyrs do not die' and a red inverted triangle – a symbol to show support for Hamas. Police said they were looking for a man who held a placard that read 'hang every ZOG pedo'. Zog – Zionist Occupied Government – is an anti-Semitic slogan claiming Jews control Western politics. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined the march and denied there was any 'anti-Semitic undercurrent'. Offensive chanting about Allah was also heard on the Unite the Kingdom march. Police estimated that 60,000 protesters took part in Robinson's rally, while up to 20,000 attended the pro-Palestinian protest. The Met's operation on Saturday included 660 officers from other forces, with mounted officers, dogs, helicopters and drones. Police formed a blockade as Unite the Kingdom protesters gathered in Kingsway, London, on Saturday morning A protester held a mock key with the words 'we will return' written on as a pro-Palestinian march marked the 78th anniversary of the Nakba Officers used facial recognition near Kings Cross station on Saturday as protesters flooded into the capital Armoured vehicles were put on standby and live facial recognition targeted known troublemakers. Crowds chanted 'Keir Starmer is a w*****' at the Unite the Kingdom rally. Robinson called on protesters to participate in local politics, saying: 'Are you ready for the battle of Britain? 2029, we have an election.' Justice Secretary David Lammy accused the organisers of the march of 'spreading hatred'. Additional reporting: Adam Pogrund and Andy Crick No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.