Racist gangs were stopped in their tracks in Brighton last weekend when thousands of anti-fascist protesters took to the streets to stop the far-right marching. The motley crew of a few hundred racists and fascists had been mobilised far and wide for a planned “stop the boats” march through the town centre. But they barely got out of Brighton station.

Despite some quite brutal police efforts involving pepper spray, police truncheons and riot shields, the “South East Patriots” remained bottled in a nearby street until they were eventually escorted back to the station under police protection.

More than 20 anti-racist groups took part in the Carnival Against Racism counter-protest – coming together to “ensure a united resistance” and to show that “the far-right are not welcome in Brighton”. Famed musician and DJ, Fatboy Slim, who lives in Hove, performed at the counter protest and said: “Never been more proud of my home town. More disco, less fascism.”

Prior to the protest, Brighton & Hove City leader Bella Sankey said that “far right agitators” were “stirring up division”. The Labour councilor said: “Brighton and Hove is a proudly diverse city, where white residents, black residents, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, people of no faith, gay residents, trans residents, feminists, refugees and mixed race people like me, live side by side peacefully. We know better than to blame whole communities for the actions of individuals. This is our home, and in Brighton and Hove, difference is famously our strength.”