Eighteen people were arrested as Sussex Police said that its tactics prevented potentially major disorder this afternoon (Saturday 2 June).
Three of those who were arrested were cautioned and released.
About a hundred English nationalists gathered in Brighton and were met with an anti-fascist protest.
And about a hundred UK Uncut supporters gathered at the Clock Tower just after noon and made their way to Churchill Square.
Some of the UK Uncut supporters are believed to have broken away and confronted the English nationalists mid-afternoon.
Later in the afternoon there were minor confrontations between opposing factions on the seafront and in the St James’s Street area but these were quickly dealt with by police.
About 30 of the nationalists, who police described as confrontational, were escorted to Brighton railway station at about 6pm and put on trains home.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “A positive policing presence in Brighton and Hove today ensured it was largely business as usual for residents, traders and visitors, as both nationalists and UK Uncut supporters gathered in the city.”
Superintendent Steve Whitton said: “We took the decision to have a visible and reassuring presence in the city today.
“Early engagement, explaining our intentions to facilitate peaceful activity and making arrests for any criminality, prevented an escalation of tension between the groups and only a few minor incidents of disorder took place.
“I would like to thank local people, businesses and visitors for their patience on the few occasions when it was necessary to close roads or divert traffic. We were able keep these to a minimum.”
At 7pm policing of the city returned to the local policing team, with some additional officers on standby in case of any isolated incidents of disorder overnight.
Others were deployed as cover in case of problems in Falmer where Fatboy Slim is headlining a gig at the Amex Statium.
The three people who were cautioned and released were
- A 32-year-old man from Portslade for having cannabis and cannabis resin
- A 47-year-old man from Enfield, Middlesex, for having cocaine
- A 37-year-old man from Sittingbourne, Kent, for having cocaine
The rest are in custody while investigations continue and have been, or will be, interviewed. They are
- A 53-year-old woman from Brighton for assaulting a police officer
- A 44-year-old man from Brighton for discharging a firework in a public place
- A 45-year-old man from Brighton for breach of the peace
- A 37-year-old man from Brighton for having heroin
- A 49-year-old man from Shoreham for assault causing actual bodily harm
- A 49-year-old man from Worthing for using offensive language
- A 30-year-old man from Brighton for assault
- A 27-year-old man from Brighton for using offensive language
- A 50-year-old man from Bournemouth for using racial language while chanting
- A 26-year-old man from Cambridge for using offensive language
- A 50-year-old man from Herne Bay, Kent for committing battery
- A 27-year-old man from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, for causing distress to the public
- A 45-year-old man from Bletchley, Milton Keynes for breaching a notice served under Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act
- A 51-year-old man from Hull for criminal damage, assaulting a police officer and breaching a notice served under Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act
- A 43-year-old man from Hull for being drunk and disorderly
