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Britain will “never surrender” to far-right protesters who use the flag as cover for violence and to instil fear, Keir Starmer has said, condemning attacks against police officers and the racist intimidation of minorities.
Starmer said the St George’s flag “represents our diverse country” and that he would not tolerate people being “intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin”.
The prime minister had been urged by MPs and anti-fascist groups to speak up against some of the rhetoric on the largest nationalist event protest in decades, organised by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
In his first comment on the march, Starmer said there was a right to peaceful protest but that violence and intimidation were unacceptable and condemned the appropriation of the St George’s flag by the far right, anti-immigration protesters.
“People have a right to peaceful protest. It is core to our country’s values,” the prime minister said in a statement to the Guardian. “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.”
He added: “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.”
Between 110,000 and 150,000 were estimated by police to have attended the event on Sunday, which was addressed by the billionaire X founder and former Donald Trump confident Elon Musk. Musk told the crowd that “violence is coming” and that “you either fight back or you die”.
The billionaire said: “I really think that there’s got to be a change of government in Britain. You can’t – we don’t have another four years, or whenever the next election is, it’s too long. Something’s got to be done. There’s got to be a dissolution of parliament and a new vote held.”
Starmer’s forthright comments may settle some nerves in Labour where there had been growing concern that the prime minister had not yet done enough to take on the attacks of the right.
Ahead of the march, the anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate sent a letter to the prime minister asking him to make public condemnation of growing racist rhetoric, echoed by a number of senior MPs who said that Labour had a duty to counter growing right-wing extremism.
On Sunday, some Labour MPs told the Guardian they had been unsettled by the comments of the business secretary, Peter Kyle, earlier in the day on Sunday, which stopped short of condemning the protests and said they were a “klaxon call” for the government.
Kyle said that figures such as Robinson were able to “touch into a sense of disquiet and grievance in the community in our society.” He said moments like the demonstration were “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.”
The Labour MP Stella Creasy tweeted: “In spirit of free speech I disagree with Peter Kyle – we can defend right of people to protest and still be concerned that for many watching yesterday purpose behind this event is not freedom but fear. They must be able to march and we must challenge message as not who we are.”
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The Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey suggested the Conservatives should also speak out to condemn the violent rhetoric. “Elon Musk openly called for violence on our streets yesterday,” he said.
“I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric. Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.”
A total of 26 officers were injured in clashes as projectiles were hurled while the Metropolitan police confirmed on Sunday that 24 people were arrested for a range of offences including common assault and violent disorder.
A man who said on camera that “Keir Starmer needs to be assassinated” and “someone needs to shoot Keir Starmer”, and whose comments were published online, is among those being sought by police.
Robinson was among those who addressed the crowds from a stage, along with a range of other Far Right figures. However, there were no-shows by promised speakers including Steve Bannon, a former strategist for Donald Trump, and Jordan Peterson, the Canadian psychologist and culture warrior.
Others who appeared on the same stage included the former Reform UK deputy leader Ben Habib, who is setting up a rival party to the right of Reform known as Advance UK, which Robinson says he has joined.
