Crime & Safety
Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ protest condemned
Tens of thousands of people have descended on the capital today for two rival marches, which has necessitated a £4.5 million police operation with 4,000 officers deployed.
Police have estimated about 50,000 people are set to attend the Unite the Kingdom march organised by Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, while 30,000 are expected to go to the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally.
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Armoured vehicles, police horses, dogs, drones and helicopters will be deployed along with the officers on duty as the Met aims to avoid clashes between the two rallies.
Crowds have gathered for the Unite the Kingdom march, many waving Union flags, while protesters in South Kensington are carrying Palestine flags and signs reading “smash the far right” for the pro-Palestine rally.
Sean Woodcock, Labour MP for Banbury, released a statement condemning those marching.
He said: “I have spoken and written about my patriotism and love for my country before. Those marching in London today are not that Britain.”
Sharing a pre-written statement on social media platform X, he added: “It may sound odd coming from a politician of the left, but I love my country.
“Not loud nationalism. Not bedecking lampposts with flags. Not declaring love of a country as loudly as possible. Not pretending that our history is all good, or bad.
“The riots in the summer of 2024 were incredibly disturbing. And they didn’t come out of nowhere.
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“There are a lot of people who feel scared of what they see on their streets, or on the news. Or they feel like their country has let them down by not giving them the opportunity to thrive.
“I hear that and I accept it. However, I also know that we’ve seen this country at its best over recent years.
“We’ve had the Platinum Jubilee when we all cried at the Queen and Paddington. Street parties to celebrate VE day. But we’ve also seen people opening their homes to those fleeing war in Ukraine.
“We saw it during the pandemic, when everyone but particularly young people stayed at home, making huge sacrifices never asked of previous generations to keep other people safe.
“This is a patriotism that believes love of country is best expressed not in words, but in service.”
It comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a visited to the Met Police command centre on Friday that the Unite the Kingdom organisers were “peddling hatred and division, plain and simple”.
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Chants of “Keir Starmer’s a wanker” and “we want Starmer out” could be heard on Kingsway from the Unite the Kingdom march.
Some protesters at the front of the march were carrying wooden crosses and chanted “Christ is king”, while others threw beach balls and drank cans of alcohol as they waited for the protest to begin.
At the pro-Palestine march, a large group of protesters carrying banners and placards reading “Bristol stands with Palestine”, “Stop Trump, Stop Farage”, and “Free Palestinian Hostages” gathered with many wearing keffiyehs.
The presenter, known for his work on Top Gear and Clarkson’s Farm, owns both The Farmer’s Dog pub and Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire.
His TV credits also include The Grand Tour, on which we worked with Richard Hammond and James May for eight years since its 2016 debut.
The journey came to an end in 2024 with one final special across Zimbabwe and Botswana in Africa, entitled The Grand Tour: One For The Road.
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It was announced in February that Prime Video had recruited three new presenters to follow in the footsteps of Clarkson, May and Hammond.
Trainspotter-turned-social media star Francis Bourgeois will front the show alongside James Engelsman and Thomas Holland.
Now, in a new article by The Times, where Mr Clarkson is a columnist, the TV legend has revealed that he has seen clips from the new trio’s adventures.
“I’ve seen some of it, and it is very, very good,” said Mr Clarkson.
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When the trio were announced, the 66-year-old told Autocar journalists Steve Cropley and Matt Prior on their podcast: “Don’t be hasty. Do not be hasty.”
“I think Andy’s [Wilman] involved to some extent. Difficult to work out how much, but he’s definitely involved. I know this because I heard his voice on the guide track of their film.
“Oh, it’s different. I mean, it’s different because they’re three completely different people to us, but they’re bl**dy funny.”
The incident occurred in the village of Churchill, in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds near Chipping Norton, at about 9.30pm on Wednesday, May 13.
Police said multiple offenders went to the rear of a home and smashed through the patio doors, before carrying out a ‘messy’ search of the house looking for cash and jewellery.
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Thames Valley Police has asked anyone with information about the burglary to get in touch, quoting reference number 43260237641.
The force also issued 10 recommendations to prevent burglaries, which included locking doors and windows even when home, lighting the property, installing visible CCTV and strengthening entry points.
Homeowners are advised to make the house look occupied when no one’s home, remove hiding places, test alarm systems, know your neighbours, protect your keys and use smart tech to monitor your home when out.
The EasyJet service, flight U28305, was en route from London Gatwick to Milan when the incident occurred shortly after departure.
The flight left Gatwick’s runway at 2.22pm on Thursday, May 14, aboard an Airbus A319, registration G-EZDH.
A spokesperson for EasyJet said: “Flight EZY8305 from London Gatwick to Milan yesterday afternoon returned to London Gatwick shortly after take off following a lightning strike in line with procedures.”
As the aircraft climbed through stormy skies, it was struck by lightning.
The flight crew continued climbing to about 16,000 feet while checking the aircraft systems before declaring a priority and requesting to return to Gatwick.
The EasyJet spokesperson confirmed the plane landed routinely and said: “The aircraft is equipped to safely withstand lightning and at no point was the safety of the flight compromised.
“The pilot performed a routine landing where we provided customers with refreshments in the terminal and arranged for a replacement crew and aircraft to continue the flight to Milan later that evening.
“The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”
Modern aircraft are designed to safely handle such events and direct the electrical current away from passengers.
A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport said: “We can confirm the EZY8305 A319 requested an emergency landing at London Gatwick after a reported lightning strike shortly after departure yesterday (May 14).
“It returned to the airport where it landed safely.”
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Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ protest condemned
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