Viral Video Misattributes London Rally to Poland’s Independence Day
In the aftermath of one of the largest ultraconservative gatherings in UK history, an aged video has been falsely distributed implying it showed the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ demonstration in London. In reality, the drone video was circulated in previous posts about Poland’s independence day festivities in Warsaw during November 2023, a fact corroborated by Google Street View imagery of the route followed by the demonstrators.
The footage was originally depicted in a Weibo video captioned in simplified Chinese, posted September 14, 2025. The caption claimed, ‘The biggest demonstration in the history of Europe. Over one million participants joined in the Unite the Kingdom nationalism demonstration in London’. It continued to state that the major calls of the protest were ‘to reclaim the United Kingdom’, with an emphasis on free speech, national defense, societal security, and matters related to immigration.
Through an aerial perspective, the video captures protesters, many carrying flags and illuminating flares, as they densely fill a city street and bridge. Multiple posts of a similar nature shared this video, particularly Chinese media posts following the conservative rally on September 13, attracting an audience of approximately 150,000 attendees in London.
Many participants of the rally, some adorned in English and British flags, gathered close to Downing Street where speeches were delivered by representatives of the far-right ideology from different parts of Europe and North America. Business magnate Elon Musk was one such figure whose speech attracted attention.
Distinct details observed during the rally included pictures of deceased American conservative activist Charlie Kirk attached to protest signs. Other signs displayed various slogans, with some resistant to accepting more refugees, insinuating ‘stop the boats’, and others expressing criticism towards the Labour Prime Minister at the time, Keir Starmer.
During the rally’s aftermath, local law enforcement reported that they arrested 25 attendees and that 26 officers had sustained injuries during sporadic skirmishes. The escalated tensions arose as some rally-goers attempted to access so-called ‘sterile areas’ in the vicinity of counter-protesters.
However, despite the claims, the video that gained traction online did not depict scenes from the London rally. A reverse image search confirmed the video to be the same footage previously posted by a user based in Poland in November 2023. A watermark, present in the top-right corner of the video, also matched the handle of this user.
In the original video caption, it stated: ‘Amazing scenes as hundreds of thousands took to the streets to celebrate Poland!’. This drone video presented an image of Poland’s annual independence day march. The original poster also shared a version of the video without any cropping.
The independence day gathering in the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland, saw a multitude of far-right supporters chanting anti-European Union messages while immersed in a sea of Polish red-white flags. Photo evidence from the 2023 gathering shows activitists carrying their national flag while also hoisting flares.
Each year on the 11th of November, participants traverse a specific route, a tradition followed for the past decade, leading them across the Poniatowski Bridge. Subsequently, they congregate at Poland’s National Stadium to hear speeches from far-right leadership.
The video, incorrectly associated with the London rally, aligns with Google Street View images of the Poniatowski Bridge, offering clear evidence of its Polish origin.
Misinformation spread rapidly in the digital era, and this case was a stark example of that. The video in question was in fact taken in Poland, not London as many believed, as verified by corroborating the footage with Google Street View snapshots.
It’s a reminder of the need for accurate representation and verification of information, particularly in the sensitive context of such political gatherings. Misleading portrayals can lead to skewed perceptions, which only emphasize the importance of careful documentation and ethical sharing of information.