Sussex Police have contradicted a previous statement in which they said no arrests were made at the huge counter-protest which took place in Queens Road, Brighton, last night.
Officers pulled a man from the 2,000-strong counter-protesting crowd and placed him in handcuffs as pictured above, before searching him.
He was initially told by police officers to stay in the counter-protesting crowd despite trying to reach the group of protesters outside the BBC offices.
We have now stood down from Queens Road, Brighton, where around 2,000 people who gathered this evening for a peaceful protest, have now dispersed.
There were no arrests.
We would like to thank the community for their support & engagement to help us keep people safe. pic.twitter.com/hKHi49J0We
— Sussex Police (@sussex_police) August 7, 2024
The protests come after the death of three young girls in a Taylor-Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 26.
Views of the crowd in Brighton (Image: Sussex News and Pictures)
Protests and even riots fuelled by misinformation have spread across the country, from London to Birmingham and as far south as Brighton.
A Sussex Police spokesman have now told The Argus: “A small number of people engaged in anti-social behaviour were removed from the area by police.
The protesters were met with thousands of activists as police slowly moved them out of the crowd (Image: The Argus)
“One man was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace and was later de-arrested.”
In pictures: Brighton avoids violent scenes as thousands counter-protest
A small group of men, surrounded by counter-protesters, were escorted out by police to a waiting van while eggs, flour and other objects were thrown at them.
Officers tried to keep the two groups separate (Image: The Argus)
Two of them claim they were caught up in the evening’s events and were not part of the protest.
One of them told The Argus: “The fact that police had surrounded us was because a group of black-hooded track-suited men with face masks kicked one of us.”
Further demonstrations are expected to take place in Sussex tomorrow evening.
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