LONDON (AP) — Thousands of supporters of jailed far-right activist Tommy Robinson marched through London Saturday as anti-racism demonstrators staged a counter-protest nearby.

The so-called “Unite the Kingdom” march – which was planned by Robinson and at which he was scheduled to be a speaker – sparked calls for his release following his arrest Friday on a contempt of court warrant.

“We want Tommy out,” chanted the crowd, which was mostly white men. The sea of ​​protesters carried Union and English flags and some waved banners reading “Make America Great” as they gathered near a fenced-off statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the square opposite Parliament.

The march was countered by thousands of people from the group Stand Up to Racism, who held signs reading “Refugees Welcome” and “Opposition to Tommy Robinson.”

Robinson, 41, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is the founder of the nationalist and anti-Islamist English Defense League and remains one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain.

He is accused of fomenting the protests turned into a week of violent unrest across England and Belfast, Northern Ireland, this summer, according to social media users incorrectly identified the suspect in an immigrant and Muslim knife attack that killed three young girls in the seaside community of Southport.

Robinson supporters railed against the imprisonment of hundreds of rioters who attacked police officers, set cars on fire, shouted racist epithets and… attacked hotels where asylum seekers were staying.

Some participants wore “I am Peter Lynch” badges and one man held a fishing pole with a sign that read “Peter Lynch RIP Patriot.” They were referring to a 61-year-old man who died in prison after pleading guilty to his role as part of an angry mob that smashed windows at a hotel in the northern town of Rotherham housing migrants and dozens of riot police injured.

A separate march of several hundred family members, friends and supporters of those who did it died in police custody also took place. Some of these activists appeared to follow the anti-racism protesters by holding signs that read, “No to hate, no to fascism.”

At least five people were arrested during the main rallies, the Metropolitan Police said.

Two were arrested on suspicion of assault, including one allegedly against a police officer, during the anti-racism march. One person was arrested at the United Kingdom March on a public order offense and another on suspicion of a racially motivated public order offence. A fifth person was arrested for allegedly making a racist remark towards an officer, but the Met had not confirmed which protest the person was attending.

Robinson, who has been imprisoned in the past for assault, contempt of court and mortgage fraud, faces a hearing Monday in a contempt of court case for allegedly violating a 2021 Supreme Court order allowing him to banned from repeating defamatory allegations against a Syrian refugee and successfully sued him.

While Robinson was banned from Twitter in 2018, he was allowed back after Elon Musk took over the social network and renamed it X. He now has 1 million followers.