Thousands of demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday for a rally called by British far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson.

Aerial footage of the rally from Sky News showed large crowds in the Waterloo area of the British capital and a large police presence.

Some members of the crowd were seen carrying English and British flags.

Prominent far-right figures, including U.S. President Donald Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon, are due to speak at the event.

In the past, Yaxley-Lennon has been jailed for assault, mortgage fraud and contempt of court.

He founded the nationalist street protest group English Defence League in 2009.

Even after the group faded from view around 2013, he remained one of the most influential far-right figures in Britain and can still draw large crowds to the streets.