UK bars 11 foreign far-right activists ahead of Tommy Robinson rally as Met deploys 4,000 officers and live facial recognition

The British government on May 15 announced that 11 foreign far-right activists had been blocked from entering the United Kingdom before a Saturday rally organised by Tommy Robinson — real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — under the banner 'Unite the Kingdom'. Those barred include the US anti-Islam influencer Valentina Gomez, who attended Robinson's September 2025 rally; the Dutch influencer Eva Vlaardingerbroek; the Polish MEP Dominik Tarczyński; the Belgian politician Filip Dewinter; and AfD MEP Petr Bystron, who said his electronic travel authorisation had been refused on Friday morning. Bystron told Die Zeit that 'Starmer is finished. A country that doesn't let critics in is finished,' comparing the British system to communism.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after meeting senior Met figures involved in Saturday's operation, said: 'We are in a fight for the soul of this country, and the Unite the Kingdom march this weekend is a stark reminder of exactly what we are up against. Its organisers are peddling hatred and division, plain and simple. We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence. For anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone, you can expect to face the full force of the law.' In a video posted on social media he described the rally's organisers as 'convicted thugs and racists'. Downing Street said Starmer recognised that 'the majority expected to attend are law-abiding citizens'. Robinson responded on X: 'Keir Starmer's regime are the enemy of the British people. Descend on London.'

The Metropolitan Police is anticipating one of its busiest days of the year. More than 4,000 officers have been drafted in over fears of clashes between the rally — which will march up the Strand, through Trafalgar Square and end in Parliament Square — and a pro-Palestinian Nakba Day march beginning at Waterloo Place to mark the 78th anniversary of the displacement of Palestinians in 1948. Anti-racist counter-demonstrations organised by Stand Up to Racism are also planned, while tens of thousands of football fans will be at Wembley for the FA Cup final. The Met has authorised the use of live facial recognition at a protest for the first time, deploying the cameras 'on the outskirts' of the Unite the Kingdom rally rather than inside the march, the force's head of facial recognition, Lindsey Chiswick, told BBC Radio 4's World at One. Drones will identify suspects, armoured vehicles will be on standby and all officers will be in riot gear. Public Order Act conditions have been imposed on both the Robinson event and the pro-Palestinian march.

Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said new Crown Prosecution Service guidance directed prosecutors to consider whether 'protest placards, banners and chants viewed on social media' may amount to offences of stirring up hatred, including potential arrests over chants referring to 'intifada' on the pro-Palestinian march. 'This is not about restricting free speech. It is about preventing hate crime and protecting the public, particularly at a time of heightened tensions,' Parkinson said. 'Where the line into criminality is crossed, we will not hesitate to prosecute.'

Among the announced speakers at Saturday's rally is Siobhan Whyte, mother of Rhiannon Whyte, the woman stabbed to death by an asylum seeker staying at the hotel where she worked. Robinson's last 'Unite the Kingdom' event in September 2025 drew more than 100,000 people and was followed by violent confrontations with police and anti-Muslim hate-speech incidents. The new rally is calling for a general election and marks a shift by Robinson towards encouraging supporters to take up political campaigning.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally — who in March became the first woman to lead the Anglican Church — urged people to 'choose hope' as part of A Million Acts of Hope Week, a counter-event backed by the Muslim Council of Britain, the UK Muslim Network and Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, the senior rabbi of Masorti Judaism UK. 'When we watch the news or scroll through our phones it can feel as though our country is more divided than ever. But this is not the whole story,' Mullally said. Wittenberg cited solidarity from Muslim and Christian colleagues during a recent spate of antisemitic attacks in London.