TENS of thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday to protest against the far right, weeks before local elections and six months after one of the UK's largest far-right demonstrations.
The march was organised by hundreds of civic groups, including trade unions, anti-racism campaigners and Muslim representative bodies. The Together Alliance event was described as the biggest in UK history to counter right-wing extremism.
A separate pro-Palestinian march also converged with the main rally.
Organisers said half a million people attended, while police estimated the turnout at around 50,000.
Protesters carrying placards with slogans such as "no to racism" and "you cannot divide us" marched from near Marble Arch to Whitehall near parliament, where a rally with speakers was planned.
Speakers included left-wing politicians such as Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, singer Billy Bragg and members of the English reggae band UB40.
"Days like this are here to send a message... we are unstoppable," Polanski told the event, which appeared to draw people of all ages from across Britain.
Student Emily Roth told AFP there was "a global toxic climate and the UK is not fighting it".
"The government is obsessed with immigration but that's not our biggest problem," the 23-year-old said as she walked along the route.
London police, which had said there would be a "significant policing presence" to ensure protests were safe and lawful, later said officers made 25 arrests.
It said 18 of those arrests followed an alleged protest near the Together Alliance rally in support of Palestine Action, an activist group banned under anti-terror law.
Police had earlier said they would resume such arrests after pausing them following a High Court decision last month upholding a challenge against the government ban.
'Worried'
The Together Alliance march followed a rally organised last September by far-right activist Tommy Robinson that drew up to 150,000 people, many carrying English and British flags.
That event saw what police described as "unacceptable violence" on its fringes, including clashes with officers that left several injured.
Robinson is planning another rally in mid-May.
Saturday’s march also came less than six weeks before elections to Scotland’s Parliament, the devolved assembly in Wales and local councils in London and other parts of England.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has led national polls for over a year, is expected to perform strongly in the elections.
Robert Gadwick, 48, who travelled from Bath in western England, said he was "worried" about the rise of Reform.
"We've been there with Brexit -- it's all the same lies and yet some people decide to believe it," he told AFP.
"We need to speak the truth... voting for Reform is a vote for more chaos and more uncertainty and we certainly don't need more chaos."
Retiree Rose Batterfield from central England also expressed concern about the "current political climate".
"I don't really recognise Labour anymore," she said.
"The idea that you can implement far-right ideas in order to stop the far right is nonsense."
(With inputs from agencies)
