9 hours 1 min agoStefano Ambrog More than 30 people were arrested in Birmingham city centre on Saturday after fighting broke out between far-right protesters and groups of youths, police said. Skip related content A little-known nationalist group calling itself the English Defence League met in the town centre to protest against what they see as Islamic militancy in Britain. The demonstration led to angry clashes between the protesters and groups of youths who hurled bottles at each other and bricks at police. West Midlands Police were prepared for the trouble, which they said involved little more than 200 people in all. The force employed additional officers from three other regions. They said violence flared by mid-afternoon in the New street area of the city, close to the main train station. Detective Chief Inspector Sue Southern for West Midlands Police said during the course of the day more than 30 men were arrested in the town centre after sporadic incidents of disorder. In addition, she said a significant number of people had been arrested on buses that left the Bennetts Hill area of the city. "Officers acted quickly and robustly to quell pockets of disorder caused by several groups of 20 to 30 men," Southern said. "Shoppers in and around the Bullring shopping centre were unaffected by the disorder, with retailers reporting no effect on trade," she added. Riot police have been deployed across the city to deal with any further outbreaks of disorder, West Midlands police said in a statement. On its website, the English Defence League had urged its supporters to avoid violent clashes after a similar march it organised last month in Birmingham city centre was also marred by fighting and arrests. Under a banner on its website which reads: "Peacefully Protesting Against Militant Islam," the group says it is not a fascist organisation. It also says it has no affiliation with any other far right groups including the British National Party. But a website contact for the group, Trevor Kelway, lists friends on Facebook who are BNP supporters and others who use swastikas as their facebook identity pictures. ------------ A group calling itself the English Defence League, which said it was protesting against Islamic extremism, was met with a counter demonstration. Gangs of men and youths hurled bottles at each other and pelted riot police with bricks in the city centre. Police said it was not possible to say how many arrests had been made. Officers had earlier said more than 20 men had been arrested on a bus in Digbeth during the afternoon. Heavy police presence A number of further arrests were made on double-decker buses in the city centre later. The disturbances followed clashes last month, between English Defence League protesters and members of United Against Fascism. West Midlands Police said the latest trouble involved a total of about 200 people, in mainly sporadic incidents. The disturbances were confined mainly to the New Street and Bennetts Hill area. The police helicopter was flying over the city centre for several hours monitoring the movements of the protesters and a heavy police presence was visible on the streets. Police said the people held later in the day had boarded the buses on which they were arrested in and around Bennetts Hill. Other arrests were made in nearby Waterloo Street and in Digbeth High Street. Filled buses Det Ch Insp Sue Southern said: "Officers acted quickly and robustly to quell pockets of disorder caused by several groups of 20 to 30 men. "Police estimate around 200 people in total were involved in the trouble." Community leaders have been on the streets to try to calm the situation. A West Midlands Police spokesman said the first arrests for violent disorder were made shortly after 1530 BST. The BBC's Dominic Casciani said police filled two double-decker buses with protesters from the English Defence League and transported them to Lancaster Circus. "Both buses were filled with right wing protesters," he said. "Police made them hold their protest in an underpass at Lancaster Circus, where no-one could see them." Shops unaffected Before the demonstration police and the city council obtained an order allowing them to restrict "trespassing groups" in the Bullring area of the city, under section 14a of the Public Order Act. They were also granted permission to impose conditions on the protesters, restricting them to certain locations and a limit of 250 people. Orders were also passed restricting the demonstrations to two locations. But after meeting on Broad Street in the city's entertainment district, demonstrators went to New Street, about half a mile away, and trouble broke out. The street, which houses a large number of banks, cafes and chain stores, is a major pedestrian shopping route. The nearby Bullring shopping centre and other shops remained open. Det Ch Insp Southern said business leaders had said they considered the lack of impact on the busy retail area a success. On its website, the English Defence League had urged its supporters to avoid violent clashes. It added anyone causing trouble would be arrested or removed and could destroy the hard work put in by the league and police and "would ruin the day for everyone". It also stressed it was not a fascist organisation. The police and council had been criticised on anti-fascist websites for allowing the protests to go ahead. Violence erupts at far-right march in Birmingham
Rival protesters clash on streets
Sunday, 6 September 2009
A "significant number" of people have been arrested during clashes between right-wing protesters and anti-fascist campaigners in Birmingham.
Police attempted to control the movements of the protesters
English Defence League protesters were bussed away from the city centre
The rival groups have clashed in Birmingham before
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