Heavy police presence and smoke bombs hurled as UK Freedom March and United Against Racism rallies converge

There was a significant police presence in Belfast on Saturday as the UK Freedom March came face-to-face with an anti-fascist demonstration, United Against Racism.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Jun 2018, 14:45 BST
Updated 23rd Jun 2018, 16:18 BST
Police lines separated the demonstrations at Belfast City HallPolice lines separated the demonstrations at Belfast City Hall
Police lines separated the demonstrations at Belfast City Hall

Footage of the scenes, published on social media, shows hundreds of demonstrators after they had converged on Belfast City Hall.

Lines of PSNI officers separated the groupings and smoke bombs were hurled as the two sides faced each other across police lines.

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The UK Freedom March left Sandy Row around 11:30am, making its way to City Hall as part of what it described as a 'Pro-Brexit and free speech rally'.

Nestled among the many union flags on show was a Generation Identity (GI) flag.

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Far-right group Generation Identity comes to Belfast

Far right GI believe in ‘ethnopluralism’ and ‘remigration’, ideas advocacy group Hope Not Hate has branded “far more extreme and race-based than anything posited by groups like the English Defence League (EDL)”.

Earlier this month, several far-right demonstrators were pictured at a 'Free Tommy Robinson' rally in front of Belfast City Hall giving Nazi salutes - and in the crowd next to them flew the distinctive flag of Generation Identity.

Related topics:BelfastPSNI