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Hundreds of people gathered at the Belfast City Hall on Saturday for a counter-protest against a & # 39; UK Freedom Rally & # 39;
About 150 people from various right-wing groups came up against 300 counter-protesters, made up of citizens, elected representatives, and other people that the controversial city councilor of Belfast, Jolene Bunting, called of the "far left"
. a strong police presence around Royal Avenue and City Hall as events began around 2:30 pm, with a barricade and a 50-foot buffer separating the opposing crowds.
As independent counsel Bunting and his protesters walked from Sandy Row to City Hall, a crowd of just over a dozen IRSP activists arrived, to whom the PSNI told them to pbad.
They settled a few meters behind the crowd, with police and a dozen Land Rovers in the immediate vicinity. At 3.30 pm, speeches began with personalities from the British and Irish far-right
. Concurrent counter-speeches were delivered by representatives of People before Profit, Worker's Party and Al.
The Irish language group Cumann Ui Cheirigh was represented.
There were slogans of "Welcome Immigrants" and "Muslim In-Fascists Out" as Councilor Bunting spoke to his supporters about the "false news" of the media.
For counter-protesters, People before Profit advisor Matt Collins was happy to see the crowd on his side of the fence was larger than the demonstrations across the barricade, as had been the case at previous gatherings these last weeks.
"Look around you, the people of this city are proud He added:" Jolene Bunting and this far-right crowd do not seem to have the irony of this kind of nonsense in front of City Hall. "
Alliance Councilor David Armitage said Belfast residents should not have to protest against" dangerous ideologies ", but that such ideas must be "questioned" when they appear.
It was a relatively peaceful day at City Hall, with only a few British Freedom Rally protesters escorted away from protests by the police for minor incidents of disorder
Belfast Telegraph
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