Overview
- Two opposing demonstrations — an anti‑immigration march by South East Patriots and a larger Carnival Against Fascism counter‑protest — met in Brighton city centre on Saturday, June 13 and tensions escalated into physical confrontations.
- Sussex Police deployed planned public‑order measures including cordons, mounted units and temporary containment of groups to prevent wider disorder and to escort protesters away from the railway station.
- As of early afternoon police confirmed five arrests for offences including breach of the peace, assault and possession of a pyrotechnic item and said follow‑up processing and investigations are ongoing.
- Eyewitness video and local reporting show fights on Queen’s Road, reports that officers used pepper spray on some counter‑protesters, and at times police kettled groups to control movement.
- The demonstrations disrupted local trade and transport, drew starkly different turnout estimates — roughly 4,000 at the counter‑protest and about 300 at the anti‑immigration march — and recalled Brighton’s recent history of similar clashes that shaped planning and policing for the day.