Thousands of protestors marched through central London on Saturday, demanding harsher immigration rules, in a highly policed march following the arrest of a far-right leader.

Former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson's supporters demanded his release and criticized the government for cracking down on anti-immigration riots over the summer.

A counter-protest organized by a coalition of hard-left organizations took place at the same time, raising fears of violence in central London.

A third protest by the family of a man killed by a police marksman, who was cleared of murder last week, exacerbated the situation.

Awesome turnout at the start of today's demo opposing Tommy Robinson's fascist mobilisation in central London! #StandUpToRacism pic.twitter.com/cweOkiN9c9

— Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) October 26, 2024

Robinson was remanded in jail on Friday until a court hearing on Monday over claims that he violated a 2021 High Court ruling prohibiting him from making libelous allegations about a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him. The Metropolitan Police in London stated that it arrested two people during the rally for alleged public order violations.

Two other persons were detained for suspected assault near the counter-demonstration, the statement added.

3 out of 4 Brits worried about far-right rise in UK: Poll

In late August, research showed that following anti-immigrant riots, nearly 75% of Brits are concerned about right-wing extremism, and a rising proportion are worried about societal tensions.

A poll revealed that 73% of respondents expressed concern about right-wing extremism, an increase of 11% from the same questions in March of this year.

In all, 85% of individuals surveyed said they thought British society is extremely or fairly divided, which is the biggest percentage to say that since 2019. Only 11% disagreed.

The results also showed that 57% of respondents indicated they thought the police handled the riots well, while 19% disagreed.