A right-wing march in Britain’s “gay capital” ended in running battles yesterday.Police struggled to contain angry scenes at the English National Alliance’s rally in Brighton.
Streets packed with Bank Holiday trippers were transformed into scenes of chaos.
Hundreds of campaigners chanting anti-racist slogans met the march head-on.
As violence erupted, members of the public were caught up in the carnage.
One eyewitness said: “I’ve never seen anything like it, certainly not in Brighton. It was like a war zone.
“There were hundreds of people on both sides. We thought there might be trouble but nothing like this. It seemed to start when one group broke off from the main body of marchers. They slipped off down an alley and it just went from there.”
Police closed pubs and sealed off streets trying to contain the fights that were breaking out all over the city.
A spokesman for Sussex Police refused to confirm the exact number of arrests or comment on the police response.
Both sides had vowed to make it a peaceful day, but each said the other side contained violent members.
Daily Star
