On Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office denounced US tech mogul Elon Musk for employing what it described as "inflammatory and dangerous language" in a speech at one of the nation's biggest far-right rallies.
The Saturday London protest, which had been organized by activist Tommy Robinson under the slogan "Unite the Kingdom," drew about 150,000 supporters.
In his speech, Musk called for Britain's parliament to be dissolved and Starmer's Labour government to be replaced. He also threatened the audience that "violence is coming" and said, "you either fight back or you die."
Starmer’s spokesperson said: "The UK is a fair, tolerant and decent country, and so the last thing the British people want is dangerous and inflammatory language, which threatens violence and intimidation on our streets."
Protesters marched across Westminster Bridge and gathered near Downing Street, where speakers included far-right figures from Europe and North America.
British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also condemned the protest, which included violent confrontations, and referred to Musk as a "hostile billionaire" for encouraging individuals to behave in violation of Britain's democracy. Addressing the House of Commons, Mahmood stated that 26 police officers were injured and 24 protesters arrested during the protest.
She went on to say that although lots of participants had exercised their right to protest, "some turned on the brave police officers who were there to maintain order." She went on: "Those thuggish violent elements will receive the full force of the law, but those who resort to violence on Saturday do not represent who this nation truly is. When a foreign billionaire incites our citizens to fight against our ancient democracy, I know that this is met by the overwhelming majority with a shake of the head. That is because we are, in reality, a tolerant nation. And yes, we are a diverse one as well. You can be English with origins here stretching back 1,000 years. But you can be English and look like me."
Mahmood echoed Starmer's previous statements that the Union Jack and St George's Cross flags are "symbols of unity" and must not be used to drive people apart.
"The words that were used at the weekend are abhorrent and I know that the vast majority of people in this country will feel the same way; whether you're a hostile state or a hostile foreign billionaire, no one gets to mess with British democracy,” she added.
Starmer had said on Sunday: "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."
During the protest, Robinson, whose actual name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, stated that UK courts gave more importance to the rights of illegal immigrants than to the rights of the "local community." He was referring to a Court of Appeal decision that overturned an injunction stopping asylum seekers from being accommodated in the Bell Hotel in Essex.
"They told the world that Somalians, Afghans, Pakistanis, all of them, their rights supersede yours — the British public, the people that built this nation," he told the crowd.
Anti-racism counter-protesters were later pelted with objects by Robinson's supporters as tensions erupted between both sides on Whitehall in central London.
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