One man arrested as right-wing protest passes off without major incident

A protest by right-wing movement Pegida passed off without major incident today (6th February) with just a single arrest.

Around 200 members of the organisation staged a rally at Starley Way, in Birmingham International Business Park, between 2-3pm following a short parade from the nearby train station.

A small group of counter-demonstrators gathered at the station but a robust policing operation – with West Midlands Police working alongside British Transport Police colleagues – ensured rival factions were kept apart and minimised the risk of any flashpoints.

There were no reports of serious disorder or injuries – the only arrest was a 39-year-old man, from the counter-demonstration muster point, for a public order related matter.

Solihull Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Alex Murray, said: “We’ve been planning the operation for months; the collective efforts of our officers, Solihull Council, partner agencies, protest organisers and community groups helped ensure the event passed off without any serious disorder.

“We had a large police presence on the ground, including protest liaison officers, in order to deal effectively with any issues. But we were confident the rally would be peaceful: our negotiations with Pegida representatives were positive and they stressed their intentions to express their views lawfully.

“Disruption was kept to a minimum – Bickenhill Lane was closed temporarily to allow for protestors to walk from Birmingham International to the demo point but hopefully it didn’t hugely inconvenience motorists or local businesses.”

The arrested man, from east London, was detained by officers at 1pm outside Birmingham International railway station under section 5 of the Public Order Act – he is currently in police custody.

Read more: https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/latest-news/news.aspx?id=4142