Tim Booth, of rock band James, has hit out at far-right activist Tommy Robinson and attendees of the “unite the kingdom” rally, for their “cynical” use of the band’s track ‘Sit Down’.
- READ MORE: Soundtrack Of My Life: Tim Booth
Robinson used the song in a video posted to X, which showed the size of the crowd at the rally. Booth said he was “disgusted” by the use of the song, without the band’s permission, and called the track “the antithesis” of the far-right activist’s movement.
The “unite the kingdom” rally was organised by Robinson and took place on Saturday (September 13). The Metropolitan police estimated that between 110,000 and 150,000 people attended the demonstration. At least 25 people were arrested, and 26 police officers were injured at the event.
Other far-right figures, such as Katie Hopkins and Laurence Fox, were also in attendance. Elon Musk gave a speech via video link, criticising what he called the “woke mind virus” and telling the crowd that “violence is coming” and “you either fight back or you die”.
Shortly after 5pm, while many marchers were still gathered around Whitehall and Trafalgar Square, Booth criticised Robinson’s use of the track, released in 1989, on his own X account.
He wrote: “Disgusted to see the cynical use of Sit Down by [Tommy Robinson]. No permission was granted, and we are looking into our options.
“The song and most of our topical lyrics, make it very clear where we stand, and it’s the antithesis of this organisation.”
Disgusted to see the cynical use of ‘Sit Down’by @TRobinsonNewEra.
No permission was granted, and we are looking into our options.
The song and most of our topical lyrics, make it very clear where we stand, and it’s the antithesis of this organization— Tim Booth (@RealTimBooth) September 13, 2025
According to the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP), synchronisation licences are necessary for using music in audio-visual projects – including on social media posts where music is synchronised with visual content.
As The Independent reports, if a musician or band’s work has been used unlawfully or without permission, they can request a cease and desist letter for any accused parties to stop using their work. If no further action is taken, the band or musician can file for a lawsuit for copyright infringement, which can lead to damages payments.
An estimated 5000 anti-fascist counter-protesters faced the far-right activist-led “unite the kingdom” rally. Many of these counter-protesters were trapped and surrounded by those attending the “unite the kingdom” march, who did not let them leave for over three hours, according to The Guardian.
After realising that they would be stuck for a while, dozens of these counter-protesters made the most of the bad situation and danced to music from their sound system, which included Kneecap and Diana Ross.