In the heart of one of the country's
biggest cities, a picture of a growing
national divide. A right-wing
anti-immigration protest in Liverpool
met with left-wing opposition. The
result, anger, fury, and multiple
scuffs.
Murzyside police caught in the middle
pouring resource and effort into
separating the two sides with a number
of arrests made. As a protest spill
across the country, what you have is a
situation that is becoming increasingly
hard to police. This isn't like the
demonstrations at asylum hotels. What
you have are the police struggling to
separate two groups and having to pour
more and more resource into this effort
as the day goes on.
There were similar scenes across the
country, including here in Holly.
Pull across there. Pull across there,
>> where police were also forced to act and
think quickly.
>> And in Bristol, where officers had their
hands full, forces needed to stop the
two groups from clashing. Back in
Liverpool, beyond the rage, there were
some voices on the fringes. People are
being manipulated and lied to. And I
think it's actually really sad that poor
people with not good health are standing
with the far right who will destroy
their lives. I think people have
forgotten our history and the fact that
Liverpool's built on the back of
immigrants. You know, our even our
accent comes from a mixture of cultures.
Do you know what I mean? We we shout
scouts not English because we've been
oppressed by this government for so long
and now you're siding with it. Makes no
sense to me. I am for immigration. Legal
immigration,
not dingies that are burning.
>> But when the legal avenues are shut and
the world's on fire.
>> No. No. Listen, mate. I'm not arguing
with you here.
>> I'm not arguing with you, mates. I'm
happy to have the debate.
>> What I'm saying is I don't believe it's
right for illegal immigrants to burn
their stuff on a dingy and then say
death to Britain, death to kids.
>> But are they saying that?
>> Yeah, they are. I've seen no evidence of
it. They are. They are.
I've seen evidence.
>> But as much as people say they want to
talk to the other side, it only takes a
second for those conversations to turn
here and beyond. This issue is driving a
wedge between people. With more protest
and counterprotest planned, it's looking
increasingly hard to find a middle
ground. Shingi Marque, Sky News,
Liverpool.