LONDON – Around 1,000 people gathered in London Saturday for a “Christmas” rally organized by far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson, as bishops said they were gravely concerned by the use of Christian symbols to “justify racism and anti-migrant rhetoric”.
People waved Union Jack flags and others that read “Jesus is King” at the rally in the center of the capital while a counter protest was also held, AFP reporters on the ground said.
“It’s great to see one is not alone… our Christian faith is important, more than ever, and we have to protect it,” job seeker Joe Burke, 38, told AFP.
Mary Bills, a retired teacher wore a T-shirt with the slogan “Make Christmas Great Again”.
“I think it’s positive and important to celebrate our Christian values,” she said.
“This country is a Christian country and yet it seems complicated to claim our heritage,” she added.
Police estimated around 1,000 people had turned up. They said two people had been arrested: one for assaulting a police officer and another over the alleged homophobic abuse of an officer at a previous Tommy Robinson rally.
Some 200 people took part in a counter-protest, a spokesperson added.
Robinson had billed the rally as a Christmas “religious celebration”.
Writing on X, Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, urged anyone attending Saturday’s rally to “honor our faith, our culture, and our heritage in the very best way we can.”
But one woman at the counter protest held up a placard that read: “Christ was a refugee at Christmas.”
And Anglican bishops of the Southwark Diocese, which covers much of south London, expressed deep concern about Robinson’s rally.
“Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable, and we are gravely concerned about the use of Christian symbols and rhetoric to apparently justify racism and anti-migrant rhetoric,” they said in a statement.
“We are proud of our nation and our communities — and we know that we are better than this,” they added.
Robinson is a highly contentious figure who boasts a significant online following. In September, he drew around 150,000 people onto London’s streets for one of the country’s largest far-right protests ever.
A televised address to that rally by US tech billionaire Elon Musk was condemned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office for what it called “dangerous and inflammatory language”.
Robinson, a former football hooligan, has a string of criminal convictions. He founded the anti-immigrant English Defense League in 2009, and has become a focal point for Britain’s anti-immigrant far right.
Among his convictions are ones for mortgage fraud, public order and contempt of court, dating back decades.
The 43-year-old was released from jail in May after spending seven months in prison for breaching a court order.
During his time behind bars, he reportedly developed an interest in Christianity.
Critics have dismissed this as a “strategic rebranding” aimed at boosting his appeal among the mainstream, according to Searchlight, a magazine that describes its mission as opposing fascism, antisemitism and racism.
Robinson has also been blamed for helping to fuel anti-migrant riots that rocked the country in 2024, something he denies.
The latest rally comes amid growing anti-immigration sentiment, at a time when Brexit supporter Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party leads in polls and when protesters have targeted hotels used to house asylum seekers.
