New clashes during anti-immigration protests in Britain.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Follow-ups

Arabian Gulf - Britain - Follow-ups: New clashes erupted on Saturday during anti-immigration protests in Britain, and police arrested a number of demonstrators. Demonstrators calling for a "mass reverse immigration" campaign, and a group of anti-racism activists opposing them, gathered in the center of Manchester in northwest England, during a march organized by the far-right "Britain First" party. In London, demonstrators and counter-demonstrators gathered in front of a hotel housing asylum seekers in the city center, as happened in previous demonstrations, some of which witnessed violence. In Manchester, the two groups clashed briefly at the start of the protest before police separated them, according to an Agence France-Presse journalist. "This is a march for reverse immigration," said demonstrator Brendan O'Reilly, 66. He added, "Send them back where they came from, don't let them in, just stop them from arriving. We have hotels full of immigrants, while we have citizens homeless on the streets begging for food without shelter." In contrast, demonstrator Judy, 60, said she was participating in the counter-march because she "refuses to see people filled with hatred on the streets of Manchester." She added, "Do they want everyone to leave, or do they only mean people with dark skin? I think they only want people with dark skin to return." In London, similar clashes occurred outside a hotel in the Barbican area before police intervened. London police said on the X platform that its officers had cleared an intersection where counter-demonstrators had gathered. It added that "nine people have been arrested so far, seven of them for disturbing public order." Several incidents of violence have occurred in recent weeks during similar demonstrations, mostly in the Epping area of London.