Christian faith looms large at ‘Unite The Kingdom’ protest in London

This weekend, tens of thousands of protesters gathered under an overcast sky in central London for a rally led by political activist and recent Christian convert, Tommy Robinson.

Under Union flags and banners of ‘Make England Great Again’, protesters chanted anti-government slogans such as “We want Starmer out.” Many attendees said they felt white working-class Britons are being marginalized and Christian values eroded.

Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – converted to Christianity while in prison in 2025, serving a sentence for contempt of court. Christianity has become an increasingly visible theme at these gatherings, with Robinson posting the Lord’s Prayer on X before the event.

“British patriots need to realize that if they want the country to be great again, they need to go back to our Christian heritage,” Luke Barker from The Lord’s Work Trust said, as he handed out leaflets to the passing crowd titled ‘Common Sense: What the Bible has to say on the issue of immigration’. “We’re to welcome the stranger … but there are rules that come with that”, he maintains.

At just 17, ‘Young Bob’, whose real name is Gregory Moffitt, has 140k followers tuning into his controversial political debates on X. Asked whether he thought the protest was in line with Jesus’ message of welcoming the stranger and loving your neighbour, he told me: “St. Thomas Aquinas talks about the economic procession of love, and he gives the example, where you obviously express more love to your mother than you would a foreigner … just because I love my neighbour doesnʼt mean they have to live in my house”.

Along with many of his followers, Robinson frequently criticizes Islam. “They say theyʼre a religion of peace and love,” protester Kenny Moffett said, “but you see what goes on in those countries. People are being beheaded, women being stoned to death, women being made to cover up and never to be seen again.”

London’s Metropolitan Police deployed over 4,000 officers to police three major events that coincided in the capital. By early Saturday evening, the force had confirmed 43 arrests, including at the Unite The Kingdom protest and a Palestinian demonstration taking place nearby.

Some 11 foreign “far-right agitators” were blocked from entering the country to attend the event according to the Home Office, including American influencer Valentina Gomez.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer responded to the protests saying: “Weʼre in a fight for the soul of this country, and the Unite the Kingdom march this weekend is a stark reminder of exactly what we are up against.”

“Its organizers are peddling hatred and division, plain and simple. We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence.”

Asked why he thought Christianity had become such a big focus of the protests, Rev. Chris Wickland said: “Many people are beginning to realize that their heritage, and the way of life they like, comes from Christianity. And they realize that if they donʼt defend Christianity, the way of life they know is gone”.

“My grandad was a vicar in the Church of England, and his influence pushed me in that direction,” Nathan Marwwod said while carrying a wooden cross over his shoulder. “It’s the original reason that England succeeded. It was built on Christian values, and all the other things have come with it.”

“They are the values that create the most prosperous and innovative societies, and the most vibrant and rejuvenating societies,” Kieran Reid added. “The best places historically are the ones of Christian origin.”