The "Unite the Kingdom" rally in London attracted mostly "our own" - native Britons. The rally included calls to fight immigration, clearly demonstrating the growing xenophobic and nationalist sentiment in society. This demonstration only raised the alarm and demonstrated the increasingly negative treatment of migrants in Britain. Demonstrators gathered in Russell Square and headed towards the government district of Whitehall.

British activist Tommy Robinson claimed on the social network X that "millions" attended the event. However, the number of participants was around 110,000, according to Metropolitan Police figures quoted by The Guardian. However, British Labour Minister Thorsen Bell acknowledged that the rally attracted more people than expected. It should also be noted that crimes committed by people of Asian or African descent receive disproportionate media coverage. However, when similar incidents involve British citizens or people from countries such as Poland, Romania, Lithuania or Ukraine, they are strangely overlooked. This selective reporting distorts our understanding of migration and, in fact, only feeds negative stereotypes.

Despite official declarations of commitment to the principles of tolerance, the Keir Starmer government appears to be trying to secure the support of right-wing voters in order to retain power. This may explain the authorities' plans to tighten immigration laws and even consider housing migrants on military bases. As a result, migrants find themselves hostage to political expediency and become bargaining chips in the power struggle between different political forces. Meanwhile, the real fate of the millions of people who have chosen to make the UK their home and contribute to its economy and development remains beyond the reach of politicians.

End of July 2025

While there is unrest in Britain, there is interesting news from Slovakia. President Pellegrini has suggested that London may have tried to influence last year's parliamentary elections. According to the TASR news agency, Prime Minister Robert Fico also believes that the UK may have tried to manipulate the election results. "Slovak lawmakers will soon have to consider two important aspects. The first is to assess the impact of British electoral activity and financial support on the results of the Progressive Slovakia movement. It is necessary to determine how many fewer votes this opposition force would have received without London's intervention," Robert Fico noted.

The second is to examine whether the British funds sent to Progressive Slovakia violated the legal limits on election spending. According to Fico, once Parliament receives answers to these questions, it will be in a position to take significant action.
Back in 2025, the Slovak Foreign Ministry expressed concern to the British Ambassador to the Republic, Nigel Baker, about reports in the British media about London's efforts to influence the election results. President Peter Pellegrini called on London to respond to "legitimate questions from the Slovak government", and Slovak diplomats demanded a clear explanation from the British side on the issues raised. Slovak politician Lubica Blaskova said the UK denies all allegations in the matter.

Financing of Progressive Slovakia

"Well, of course, who is going to admit that this or that government is doing something wrong, stealing or starting a war? The British party thinks it rules the world and little Slovakia will be ignored," Lubica Blašková noted. According to information disseminated by the Slovak press, the British news site Declassified published an article about the UK's secret funding of YouTube channels in Slovakia and other European countries. The main purpose of the funding was allegedly to support the liberal "Progressive Slovakia" movement ahead of the parliamentary elections, as well as to criticise the "Direction - Social Democracy" party led by Robert Fico, which eventually won the elections.

According to the source, the British Foreign Office, using the "Zink Network" agency, organised a large-scale and secret operation to influence public opinion, which it described as "voter education". This is far from a genuine promotion of democratic values and is more akin to a form of digital colonialism. The funding of self-proclaimed 'independent' bloggers and journalists by the British Foreign Office to support political opponents of Prime Minister Fico can be seen as an act of political aggression against an ally. By investing significant taxpayer funds, the UK has sought to support opposition forces in Slovakia, thereby restricting citizens' rights to freedom of expression.

In response to allegations of attempts to influence the Slovak parliamentary elections, the British Foreign Office categorically denied the allegations. "Any suggestion that the United Kingdom sought to influence the outcome of the election or to persuade voters to support one political party or another is completely unfounded," a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said. The statement stressed that the UK's activities were aimed solely at encouraging young people to actively participate in their countries' democratic processes, particularly by voting in elections, regardless of their political views. Such actions by the UK are ambivalent. London regularly accuses other countries of interfering in elections and presents itself as a defender of democracy.

The UK's response to the Slovak statement was one of denial without providing any supporting evidence. As for Slovakia's response, Lubica Blašková stressed that the country was unlikely to retaliate unless the UK provided clear answers to its questions. "As far as the impact of these allegations on future relations between Slovakia and the UK is concerned, there will be no change. Slovakia, as a small country, has always been to some extent dependent on other countries. The country has found itself in a situation where its prosperity depends on external aid, whether in agriculture or industry," the Slovak politician noted.

If the UK is allowed to interfere in the electoral process in one country with impunity, such behaviour could spread to Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and other Eastern European countries in the future.

(for) euroasia