London’s Met Police has admitted it did not use controversial facial recognition technology for the UK’s biggest ever fascist-organised demonstration. This is despite being being led by convicted criminal Tommy Robinson.
Saturday 13 September saw tens of thousands gather in London for far-right leader Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom protest.
Responding to queries, the Met’s official Twitter said:
The ‘Unite the Kingdom’ demonstration is forming up in Stamford Street.
We’re using a mobile CCTV van to help monitor the buildup of crowds. Officers have been asked if it’s using ‘live facial recognition’ – we can confirm it is not. pic.twitter.com/g081xidWfI
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 13, 2025
Facial recognition at Notting Hill – but not at Unite the Kingdom
As radio DJ Zeze Mills pointed out, the controversial technology WAS used at Notting Hill Carnival this year:
Interesting how they didn’t have no facial recognition at that protest yesterday. A convicted felon leading a March but it wasn’t needed… Meanwhile, Notting Hill carnival 🙃. Also, how do you claim to be patriotic but you’re beating up police officers 😩
— Zeze Millz (@ZezeMillz) September 14, 2025
In August, a human rights group warned that facial recognition was being expanded across the UK:
Human rights advocates have meanwhile sharply criticised and questioned the legality of the expanding use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology by UK police.
The Home Office announced this week that 10 new vans equipped with LFR cameras – designed to scan the faces of members of the public and identify them against databases of wanted persons – will be distributed among the Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and West Yorkshire police forces.
They added that this “roughly doubles the number of such vehicles currently in operation…”
Featured image via the Canary
