http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8300431.stmDozens arrested during protests
More than 40 people have been arrested during two political demonstrations in Manchester city centre.
At least 2,000 people attended the protests, by the English Defence League (EDL) and members of Unite Against Fascism (UAF) on Saturday afternoon.
Witnesses said "ugly scenes" broke out between rival protestors and police.
Forty eight people have been arrested, among them four held on suspicion of affray. Most of the other arrests were for public order offences.
'Nasty' atmosphere
Other people were detained on suspicion of racially-aggravated offences or over possession of weapons or drugs.
Protesters have been herded by police officers to railway stations in the city as they made their way home.
Police officers arrest one of the 34 taken into custody
One man suffered a head injury during the protests, but did not need hospital treatment, a police spokeswoman confirmed.
About 700 members from the EDL and 1,400 members from UAF were separated by a line of riot police, dogs and mounted police in Piccadilly Gardens.
Mat Trewern, from BBC Radio Manchester, said the atmosphere had turned "quite nasty" as the day progressed.
He said: "There had been some ugly scenes as protesters clashed with police, but it has started to calm down and the crowds are dispersing.
"At one point, earlier on, when it became extremely tense, members of the UAF tried to break the police line between the two groups, which in turn angered the EDL members.
"Trouble had started when 100 members of the EDL arrived at Piccadilly Gardens and they were immediately met with shouts of 'racists' and 'off our streets' by members of the UAF, who had already congregated at Piccadilly."
'Hell-bent on confrontation'
He said the number of protesters from the UAF outnumbered those from the EDL by about two to one.
"The disruption in the city centre has been on a large scale, shoppers and businesses have been affected by the protests."
Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said: "The presence of so many protesters in the city has proved a challenge and while many have turned out to protest peacefully, the police reaction has been necessary in order to prevent the few hell-bent on violent confrontation.
"Today we've made arrests, many of whom were thought to be agitators and trouble-makers."
Greater Manchester Police confirmed a man, believed to be heading to the protest, had earlier been arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of distributing racially aggravated material.
Muslim leaders had renewed appeals for people to avoid the demonstrations.
Nanu Miah, a community leader from Oldham, said before the protests in Manchester: "We are not encouraging people to go, we don't know who EDL is and what could happen."
An EDL event in Birmingham in September led to counter-demonstrations and bricks being hurled at riot police. Up to 90 people were arrested.
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