+16
A man is wrestled to the ground as
violent clashes take place in Newcastle city centre as an anti-Islam
protest is met by a counter demonstration\
There were
violent clashes on the streets of Newcastle today as hundreds of
demonstrators from controversial anti-Islam group Pegida were met by a
2,000-strong counter-protest.
Around
400 people from the far-right group were shouted down by the
counter-demonstration, with scuffles breaking out as the rally made its
way through the city centre, leading to five arrests.
The
demonstrations against the anti-Islam march were led by Respect MP
George Galloway who spoke at the counter-rally, branding the far-right
protesters a 'German Nazi group'.
+16
There were violent clashes on the
streets of Newcastle today as demonstrators from controversial
anti-Islam group Pegida were met by a counter-protest
+16
Police hold back members of the Pegida far-right group as they demonstrate against the perceived 'anti-Islamisation' of Britain
+16
Five people were arrested as scuffles
broke out within the Pegida rally, however it is not clear which sides
the arrested were from
+16
Their demonstration was met by a counter protest of around 2,000 people, who gathered for speeches in Newcastle city centre
+16
The demonstrations against the
anti-Islam march were led by Respect MP George Galloway who spoke at the
rally, branding the far-right protesters a 'German Nazi group'
Organisers
from Pegida insisted the rally would be entirely peaceful, but five
people were arrested amid a heavy police presence in Newcastle's city
centre.
It
was unclear which sides the five arrested men were from, and their
alleged offences ranged from assault, to being drunk and disorderly and
breach of the peace.
Mr
Galloway, MP for Bradford West, addressed the counter-protest: 'All
right-thinking people in Britain condemn the idea of a German Nazi group
coming to the north east of England trying to stir up trouble.
The vast
majority of British people respect that and the people who are on here
on the counter-demonstration are representing millions.
'We
have enough problems in Britain without Germans coming over here and
causing more. We have problems in Britain without racism and
Islamophobia being further stoked.'
Mr
Galloway, who travelled to the North East in his Mercedes, said he was
not anti-German. 'I love Germans, I'm driving a German car, but this is
one German import we don't want.'
+16
Paul Weston, leader of the obscure
far-right Liberty GP political party, told followers at the rally that
Muslims would soon 'take over' Britain.
+16
Around 400 people joined the Pegida
rally (pictured), the first protest of its kind in Britain after a
series of demonstrations in Europe
+16
A tattooed man pokes out his tongue as Union Jacks fly in the background on the Pegida side of the police line
+16
Pegida - whose German acronym means
Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West - peaked last
month in Dresden when 25,000 people attended a rally and has now made
its way to Britain
+16
Protesters march during the first rally in Britain from the anti-Islam group Pegida, with around 400 gathering in Newcastle
+16
Police separate the
counter-demonstration from the far-right group, as thousands lined the
streets to condemn the anti-Islam protest
Paul
Weston, leader of the obscure far-right Liberty GP political party,
told followers at the rally that Muslims would soon 'take over' Britain.
'That is exactly what they will do if we quietly do nothing,' he told the crowd. 'We have to fight back.'
Pegida
- whose German acronym means Patriotic Europeans against the
Islamisation of the West - peaked last month in Dresden when 25,000
people attended a rally, but its popularity faded when one of its
leaders was pictured posing as Hitler.
A number of further protests in Germany were also cancelled following fears they were at risk of terrorist attacks.
Dr
Jacqui Rodgers, a university lecturer, was on the counter-demonstration
which attracted a cross-section of people of different faiths.
She
said: 'I think it is really important for us to unite as a community
and make it very clear to organisations that are trying to get a
foothold in the UK that we will not tolerate their attitude and we won't
accept their racist and fascist policies.'
+16
A man shouts as the rally makes it way
past Bigg Market in Newcastle, as the protest's leader said Muslims
would 'take over' Britain
+16
Pegida supporters holding a flag from
Golden Dawn - a far-right political party in Greece - are escorted away
from the counter-demonstration
+16
Hundreds of activists from the Newcastle Unites group were out in force to demonstrate against the far-right group
+16
Organisers from Pegida insisted the
rally would be entirely peaceful, but pictures show several arrests
being made and a heavy police presence
But
Pegida rally organiser Donna Trainor said: 'Islam is not a race, it is a
religion. (The term) racist shouldn't be on the table.
'Pegida raises awareness. We want the Government to take notice and take Jihadis and Muslim extremists off the street.'
Unemployed Wendy Ellison, 46, from Durham, took her bulldogs Willow and Betty to the Pegida rally.
She said: 'It's no good sitting in the house, shouting at the telly.
'I feel our country is messed up now. It doesn't feel like Britain any more.'