Sir Keir Starmer says the country should never surrender its flag to become symbol of “violence, fear and division” following a huge protest organised by Tommy Robinson – as backlash grows over Elon Musk’s “disgusting” remarks at the rally.
In his first comments since more than 110,000 joined the march in central London on Saturday, the prime minister also stated the government “will not stand” for assaults on police officers, after 26 were injured, four seriously.
The demonstration, organised under the banner ‘United the Kingdom, saw Whitehall filled with union jack and St George’s flags as the tens of thousands of protesters listened to speakers, including Mr Musk, who appeared on screens through a video link.
But there was condemnation after clashes broke out between some protesters and police, as well as outcry over the Tesla and X owner, who called for the dissolution of parliament, while encouraging Britons to “fight back or die” over the “destruction of Britain” caused by “massive uncontrolled migration”.
In a statement shared on social media on Sunday, Sir Keir wrote: “People have a right to peaceful protest. It is core to our country’s values.
“But we will not stand for assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin.
“Britain is a nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect. Our flag represents our diverse country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division.”
Assistant Met Commissioner Matt Twist said on Saturday that police faced a “wholly unacceptable” level of violence, while home secretary Shabana Mahmood vowed that anyone “taking part in criminal activity will face the full force of the law”.
Twenty-four people have so far been arrested for a range of offences, including affray, violent disorder, assault and criminal damage.
Asked on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme whether Musk was trying to incite violence, business secretary Peter Kyle said: “I thought that they were slightly incomprehensible comments that were totally inappropriate.
“But what we saw yesterday was over 100,000 people who were expressing freedom of association, freedom of speech, and proving that both of those things are alive and well in this country.
“A small minority of people who are protesting committed acts of violence against our police for which they should and they will be held accountable.”
A Labour source told The Independent: “Threats of violence have no place in our politics, and every politician who believes in democracy should distance themselves from these disgusting comments.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Musk “doesn’t care about the British people or our rights. He only cares about himself and his ego”.
Mr Kyle went on to call the protest a “klaxon call” for MPs to address immigration and other public concerns.
He stressed the government is determined to “start to bring communities back together again” in light of the fractious scenes, but he conceded so far it is “something that we have not solved”.
He said: “There are communities that are being driven further apart, and there are figures such as Tommy Robinson that is able to touch into a sense of disquiet and grievance in the community in our society.
“A lot of it goes back to its roots in the financial crisis and the impact that had on communities around the country, and we haven’t been able to bring our communities back together again since.
“I think these are moments that are klaxon calls to us in public life to redouble our efforts to address the big concerns that people right across our country have, and immigration is a big concern.”
Three of the 24 people arrested were women with the rest being men, while the youngest and oldest people detained at the protest were aged 19 and 58 respectively, the Met said on Sunday. A number of people were arrested for more than one offence. The force added officers were working to identify other people involved in the disorder with a view to making further arrests “in the coming days and weeks”.
Police said the Robinson crowd was too big to fit into Whitehall and confrontation happened when officers tried to stop them from encircling counter-protesters and accessing the area from different routes.
Projectiles were thrown by Robinson protesters towards the counter-demonstrators as thousands from both sides stared each other down on Whitehall.
A line of police horses faced the sea of Union flags, and at one point a glass bottle appeared to smash against a horse, causing the horse and rider to stagger backwards.
Scuffles broke out as police used batons to try and push back thousands of Robinson supporters gathered on the top of Whitehall and Trafalgar Square in order to allow counter-protesters to leave safely.
Later, more than 100 helmeted officers, along with dozens of mounted police, pushed Robinson supporters, by this point largely dispersed, back further from Trafalgar Square and towards Embankment station.
As well as Musk, the “Unite” protest featured a series of speeches from far-right personalities and politicians, including former actor Laurence Fox, former Apprentice candidate Katie Hopkins, along with musical performers.
