Masks banned at planned UK protests: police

Protesters at a planned anti-immigration rally and counter-demonstration in southern England this weekend will be banned from wearing face masks, police said Friday, amid fears of unrest.

Anti-migrant protesters calling themselves "patriots" and led by a longtime ally of far-right figurehead Stephen Yaxley-Lennon -- better known as Tommy Robinson -- are to rally in Portsmouth, on the south coast, from around noon (1100 GMT).

The demonstration -- and a counter-protest by the Stand Up to Racism group -- comes after protesters clashed with police on Sunday in the same city.

Those protesters, many dressed in black and wearing masks, tried to stop a group of asylum seekers -- who had arrived after crossing the Channel from France in a small boat -- from leaving the area.

Official vehicles were damaged and a small number of officers were injured, according to police, with the government condemning the scenes as "thuggish".

A day before that incident, hundreds of masked protesters massed in Dover, further east, briefly blocking access to the town's busy Channel port to demonstrate against migrant crossings.

Hampshire Police, which has responsibility for Portsmouth, said the mask ban was to "reduce opportunities for violence, intimidation and criminality".

It said the move followed "recent incidents of violence and intimidation by a minority of those who have been intent on disrupting peaceful protest".

Leaders from across the political spectrum criticised last weekend's unrest in Portsmouth and Dover, which they blamed on far-right agitators, with interior minister Shabana Mahmood meeting police bosses Thursday to get reassurance they are prepared for further incidents.

The arrival each year of tens of thousands of migrants aboard small boats has become highly contentious in Britain, relentlessly seized upon by the hard-right and helping fuel growing anti-immigration sentiment.

Police were given powers allowing them to outlaw the use of masks to conceal identities during protests under a law passed last year.

They will apply in a designated area of Portsmouth for 24 hours from 9:00 am (0800 GMT) Saturday.