Anti-immigration march met by larger counter group

The police presence appeared heavier than previous anti-immigration protests in Bristol

Anti-immigration protesters have staged a march in Bristol and clashed with counter-demonstrators.

A group of around 100 people marched between The Cenotaph and College Green in the city centre, waving flags, with around 300 counter-protesters stationed nearby.

They were intercepted on their march by members of the counter-demonstration, leading to some physical confrontation.

Avon & Somerset Police said three people had been arrested on suspicion of either assault or public order offences and are in custody.

The counter demonstration was visibly larger, with around 200 people

This is the third organised anti-immigration protest in the city in six weeks.

Avon & Somerset Police emphasised ahead of the event that hate and intolerance would not be acceptable from either group and had a large presence, including mounted officers.

The force expected a large turnout for the demonstrations.

In anticipation of this, separate but adjacent zones were set out for both groups at the beginning and end of the march route.

Both groups were allocated separate areas by police

Protester Marcus Leighton, from a group calling itself Bristol Patriots, told BBC West people were fed up with tax and immigration policies, as well as the government, but said the labels given to people with his opinions were unfair.

"We've been called Nazis, which is not true. We're just patriots who love our country," he said.

"It's about illegal immigrants, not just immigrants, coming over undocumented, unvetted," said another protester, who carried a flag on the march reading "not racist, just a worried mum".

BBC West also heard from members of the much larger counter-demonstration.

One woman said: "We need to welcome these people into our communities properly.

"It's a very very small percentage, isn't it, who are asylum seekers, but everything's sort of blamed on that."

A second protester added: "There's masses of resources that could be used if funded correctly, but it doesn't mean attacking migrants - it means taxing the wealthy."

The march was led between The Cenotaph and College Green by police officers

Protesters and counter-protesters started gathering at the cenotaph in Bristol city centre at around 11:00 BST on Sunday morning.

At around 14:00 BST, anti-immigration protesters began their march to College Green, where they held a rally for supporters.

Led by police officers, they chanted "shame on you" at the counter-protesters and were confronted mid-march by a group from the counter demonstration.

On Thursday, Avon & Somerset Police announced dispersal powers were to be brought in for the Sunday demonstrations, meaning police could ask anyone causing harassment, alarm or distress to leave the area, and police were also given the ability to remove face coverings from people if they try to hide their identity.

These rules were applied to both groups in attendance.

Spike Island and The Arnolfini, two Bristol arts venues, released a joint statement ahead of the protests, saying anyone who felt threatened could go to their venues as a safe space.

"You do not need to buy anything. You are welcome for as long as you need," it read.