Pro and anti-immigration protests face off in Norwich

PUBLISHED: 12:19 10 November 2018 | UPDATED: 12:19 10 November 2018

Two protests, with very different views on immigration, are facing off against each other in Norwich city centre.

Norwich is one of five cities, along with London, Coventry, Cardiff and Leeds, where UK Unity organised a ‘Take Back Control’ demonstration, protesting at the government’s failure to curb mass immigration.

But a counter demonstration was organised by a group which wanted to send the message that Norwich is a welcoming city for immigrants.

The two groups protested just yards away from each other outside City Hall in Norwich at lunchtime on Saturday, November 10.

UK Unity, holding banners such as Drain The Swamp and waving Union Flags were considerably outnumbered by the Norwich Against Fascists group, who chanted: “There are many, many more of us than you” and held placards saying “No To Racism”.

UK Unity was set up in Scotland last year by David Clews as an anti-Scottish independence, but pro-Brexit group. He says it is a grassroots movement and denies accusations that its stance on mass immigration is racist.

But Norwich Against Fascists organised their own counter demonstration.

They said: “Norwich has a proud history of welcoming strangers. For 2,000 years our fine city has been enriched by the culture, skills and friends that immigration has gifted us.”

Norfolk police had said, in advance of the protests, that they had been speaking to the organisers and had planned to provide a “proportionate”

police response to ensure the demonstrations were conducted peacefully.