Large groups of right-wing protesters emerged in central Newcastle on Saturday, gathering around Grey's statue and a nearby war memorial at the Old Eldon Square.

The protesters have been faced by a group of the BLM activists, who appeared to be outnumbered by the right-wingers, footage from the scene indicate.

Officers tried to separate the rival groups, but protesters managed to pelt each other with bottles, smoke bombs and other projectiles.

Mobs have recently vandalized several statues in the UK, but it was not immediately clear whether the Newcastle activists were intending to attack Grey’s Monument, which commemorates the former prime minister who abolished slavery in the British Empire back in 1833.

Britain and other Western nations have been gripped by anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests since the killing of black civilian George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May.