The lead singer of pop group James has warned Tommy Robinson he’s “looking into his options” after social media footage of Saturday’s Unite the Kingdom rally featured one of his band’s songs.
Mr Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, organised the protest this weekend, which saw roughly 110,000 protestors take to the streets of London in what he’d billed as the UK’s biggest free speech festival.
Demonstrators marched from Waterloo Bridge and Lambeth Bridge before converging on Whitehall, with thousands holding aloft Union Jack and St George’s Cross flags.
The Metropolitan Police claimed that demonstrators launched violent attacks on officers attempting to control the crowds, which had grown too large for the designated Whitehall area.
The first half of the day was believed to have been largely peaceful. However, the Met later said officers had faced “unacceptable violence”, with projectiles thrown at them. Nine people have been arrested.
“When officers moved in to stop them, they faced unacceptable violence. They were assaulted with kicks and punches. Bottles, flares, and other projectiles were thrown,” a police spokesman stated.
The event featured speeches from several international figures as well as Mr Robinson himself, including French politician Eric Zemmour, Danish People’s Party leader Morten Messerschmidt, and Germany’s AfD representative Petr Bystron.
Other speakers included Belgian anti-immigration campaigner Filip Dewinter, Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, television personality Ant Middleton, and Elon Musk.
Throughout the day, Mr Robinson provided updates from the rally via social media. It was on X that James singer Tim Booth spotted his band’s unexpected involvement in the rally’s promotion.
At lunchtime, Mr Robinson shared a clip of the rally that was originally made and published by an X account under the name of English Edits.
The video shows an aerial shot of demonstrators lining the streets of London as the James track Sit Down plays over the footage.
After being shared on Mr Robinson’s page at midday, the clip had garnered over a million views by the evening.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
WATCH: Britons tell GB News ‘our culture is being erased’ as they descend on London in mass rallyElon Musk blasts left for ‘openly celebrating’ Charlie Kirk’s death as he speaks at London rallyJeremy Clarkson wades into St George flag row as he exposes flaw in clamp-down on patriotic gesture
“Britain is awake, we are no longer afraid, you will not take our right to free speech @Keir_Starmer WE WANT OUR COUNTRY BACK,” Mr Robinson penned in the accompanying caption.
However, after being alerted to the clip that had been shared by Mr Robinson, even though it wasn’t directly made or edited by Mr Robinson himself, Mr Booth issued a stern response.
The 65-year-old singer-songwriter hit out: “Disgusted to see the cynical use of ‘Sit Down’ by @TRobinsonNewEra.
“No permission was granted, and we are looking into our options. The song and most of our topical lyrics, make it very clear where we stand, and it’s the antithesis of this organization.” (sic)
Mr Booth’s statement quickly went viral, and before long, he faced a barrage of reactions, some of which ridiculed his response to the video.
“Get a grip, so self-righteous,” one critic hit out before a second added: “No permission was granted? Mate, no one even remembered you existed until today.”
“Sit down, man, you are making a fool of yourself,” a third weighed in while a fourth also mocked: “Love you’re music, Tim, but can’t agree with you here.”
However, Mr Booth also received plenty of support from James fans. “Glad you spoke out on this, Tim, and equally as you do through your music x,” one supporter argued.
WATCH HERE: Elon Musk speaks to protesters at London’s Unite the Kingdom rally
“Well said Tim. There is no room for hate or division in your music,” a second fan commented before a third weighed in: “Good for you. I was pretty disgusted they used it as well.” (sic)
Mr Booth’s opposition to the movement was echoed by 5,000 people who joined the nearby counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Racism (SUTR).
