Letter to Sir Mark Rowley – Unite the Kingdom Rally

Sir Mark Rowley QPM

Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
New Scotland Yard
Victoria Embankment
London
SW1A 2JL

RE: Formal request for written legal assessment – “Unite the Kingdom” Rally, London, 16th May 2026

Dear Commissioner Rowley,

1. Introduction

Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to tackling Islamophobia and empowering British Muslim communities through advocacy, research and civic engagement. We write to formally request a full written account of the Metropolitan Police Service’s legal assessment of the rhetoric used at the “Unite the Kingdom” rally held in Whitehall, London, on Saturday 16th May 2026.

2. Nature of this request

We request, in writing and within 20 working days:

• Confirmation of whether the Metropolitan Police Service conducted a pre-event legal assessment of the rally’s content and speakers, and if so, by whom and on what basis;
• Confirmation of whether a public order risk assessment was conducted prior to the event regarding the foreseeable impact on Muslim and minority communities, and if so, what conclusions were reached;
• Confirmation of whether any statements made during the rally were reviewed in real time or post-event against the threshold for inciting religious hatred under the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 and/or public order offences under the Public Order Act 1986;
• A full explanation of the legal reasoning by which the statements identified in Part 3 of this letter (below) were determined not to meet the threshold for arrest or prosecution;
• Confirmation of how many officers were monitoring the content of speeches for potential criminal offences, and their seniority and legal advisory support;
• Confirmation of whether any referral has been or will be made to the Crown Prosecution Service regarding any statements made at the rally.

3. Specific statements requiring legal explanation

MEND draws the Metropolitan Police Service’s attention to the following statements, taken from the official “Unite the Kingdom” livestream, verified against video footage, which we submit prima facie warrant assessment against the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006. MEND holds timestamped recording of each statement and is willing to provide these upon request:

• “If we want to save this country, we have to remove Islam from every single place of authority.” (Kellie-Jay Keen)
• “It’s not too late to get Islam out of our classrooms… out of every single official office in this country.” (Kellie-Jay Keen)
• “This is a war. These people are waging war on us… for 1400 years.” (Tommy Robinson)
• “We’re talking about a rape jihad.” (Tommy Robinson)
• “We need to get ready to fight people. The fight’s coming.” (Tommy Robinson)

Additionally, we draw attention to the staged removal of niqabs by performers during the Nemesis Collective segment, broadcast to a live audience exceeding 700,000 viewers, which we submit was designed to incite the notion that we shouldn’t be worried by showing contempt and hostility toward visibly Muslim women.

4. The Equality of Protection

MEND notes that the Metropolitan Police Service has previously determined that public chants including “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada” were capable of causing fear and alarm to Jewish communities, and has acted accordingly. We assert that the statements listed in Section 3 above must be assessed against the same standard. There is no question that these comments have instilled fear in Muslim communities, with the explicit threat of violence to come.

The principle that hate speech law exists to protect communities from fear and harm cannot be applied selectively. We are confident the Metropolitan Police Service wish to serve all of London’s communities equally, and thus look forward to hearing what further actions can be taken to maintain this standard.

5. Legal framework

We draw the Service’s attention to the following legislative provisions relevant to our request:

• Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006, Part 3A – which makes it an offence to use threatening words or behaviour intending to stir up hatred against persons defined by reference to religious belief;
• Public Order Act 1986, Section 4A and Section 5 – covering intentional harassment, alarm or distress, and conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress;
• Human Rights Act 1998, Article 14 – the prohibition on discrimination in the enjoyment of Convention rights, including the right to security and freedom from fear.

We note that the intent threshold under the 2006 Act has been cited as a barrier to prosecution. We ask the Metropolitan Police Service to confirm whether intent was considered the decisive factor in any assessment of Saturday’s rhetoric, and if so, on what evidence that assessment of intent was based. We further ask the Service to address whether recklessness as to the likely effect of words, even absent explicit intent, was considered as part of that assessment, given that this has been argued as a sufficient basis for prosecution in academic and legal commentary on the 2006 Act.

Regardless, on a prima facie reading of the statements listed in Section 3 above, and the context of the rally itself, we submit it is clear that these were intended to stir up religious hatred against Muslims.

6. Next steps

If we do not receive a substantive written response within 20 working days, MEND reserves the right to:

• Submit a formal complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC);
• Refer this matter to the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC);
• Pursue disclosure of relevant assessments and communications under the Freedom of Information Act 2000;
• Publish this letter and any response received in full.

We are willing to meet with a senior representative of the Metropolitan Police Service to discuss this matter directly and constructively. We would welcome that opportunity.

Yours sincerely,

Linsay Taylor
Chief Executive Officer,
Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND)

Download Letter Here