A large crowd of people bearing St George's flags was seen walking along Embankment and shouting "England 'til I die".

A line of police attempted to stop them from reaching Whitehall but the group pushed through, with some shouting "let's have them" as officers hit out with batons.

Bottles were also thrown at police by the counter-demonstrators, many of whom were wearing masks.

The confrontation happened shortly before the Armistice Day two-minute silence, when hundreds of people gathered at the Cenotaph to commemorate the UK's war dead at 11am and which passed off without incident.

Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, the former co-leader of the English Defence League, had called for his supporters to mass in the capital.

He was among the crowds along with former GB News presenters Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson.

The Met Police posted on X, formerly Twitter: "While the two minutes' silence was marked respectfully and without incident on Whitehall, officers have faced aggression from counter-protesters who are in the area in significant numbers."

The force said it "will use all the powers and tactics available to us to prevent" the counter-protesters from confronting the main march, calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war against Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In an update on the social media platform, the Met said: "A group of counter protesters who left Whitehall and moved into Chinatown confronted and threw missiles at officers who tried to engage with them.

"Additional officers have been deployed to the area to identify, locate and deal with those involved. Our priority is keeping the public safe. We will not tolerate disorder in central London today."

The main pro-Palestinian demonstration, expected to be attended by 500,000 people, had drawn criticism from the prime minister and home secretary because it coincided with remembrance events.

Suella Braverman had faced accusations of inflaming tensions after accusing the police of "playing favourites" when they resisted pressure to ban the main pro-Palestinian march.

In the face of condemnation and calls for Mr Sunak to sack her, Mrs Braverman subsequently expressed her "full backing" for the Metropolitan Police at a meeting with Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.

But in the wake of the trouble, Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf wrote on X: "The far-right has been emboldened by the home secretary. She has spent her week fanning the flames of division. They are now attacking the police on Armistice Day.

"The home secretary's position is untenable. She must resign."

Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat MP who has family in Gaza, blamed Rishi Sunak.

She tweeted: "As the police in central London work to contain the far-right, and everyone starts to blame Suella Braverman, just remember who chose to not only give her the job but also chose not to sack her.

"Rishi Sunak is as, if not more, responsible for what happens today".

More than 1,000 police officers have been drafted in from outside forces to monitor the march, with the Met saying 1,850 officers will be on duty on Saturday and 1,375 on Sunday.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: "Our job is to ensure that we police without fear or favour, that we balance the rights of everybody, be that protesters, counter-protesters, or people living or coming into London.

"And our job this weekend is to ensure that people are kept safe, and that is what my focus is on."

Meanwhile, protests at a number of London train stations have been banned, with prohibition orders in place at Waterloo, Victoria and Charing Cross between 10am and 11pm on Saturday.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper, who approved the move, said: "Armistice Day is a moment of solemn national reflection in remembrance of those who have given their lives in service of our country. It's important that people can use our rail network to safely travel, free from intimidation."

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