Hundreds gather for rival protests in Exeter city centre

Hundreds of people from two opposing protests gathered in a city standoff, separated by a heavy police presence.

About 250 people took part in the British Unity Walk, which made its way through Exeter city centre before going towards Bedford Square.

As the march approached the square, it was met by a counter-protest of about 600 people, organised by local community groups under the banner Exeter for Everyone.

A total of 85 police officers, including some drafted in from Wales, were deployed to keep the two groups apart. The Devon and Cornwall force confirmed that no arrests had been made.

The counter-protesters said they had rallied to send a message of inclusivity and opposition to the message of British Unity which describes itself as “a movement dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the United Kingdom’s values, culture, and heritage”.

Among the British Unity Walk’s demonstrators was Steph, who spoke about asylum seekers arriving in the country on small boats.

She said: “All you have to do is either stop these boats coming into the country, or these people need to be vetted, kept somewhere safe until the decision is made so that we know more about them, who they are and whether they’re safe to walk in our streets.”

Gillian Costello, of Exeter for Everyone, said asylum seekers were “being vilified”.

“They’re being made as these objects of terror that our women and children should be protected from,” she said.

“But we know that most of the women in the hotels, asylum seekers going through the legal route, they’re women and children. They’re not the people who we need to be afraid of.”