Cambridge: Four Arrests During Protests

Four arrests were made during two protests held in Cambridge City Centre.

Over 500 people from 'Unite Against Fascism' protested- and around 30 members of the English Defence League held an assembly.

Around 400 police officers from 6 forces were at the demonstrations.

Supt Vicky Skeels, Cambridge City Police Commander, said: "The policing plans put in place to effectively manage both demonstrations worked well.
"Protestors in Cambridge City today have expressed their views in a way that was lawful and reasonable. The two demonstrations have been peaceful although noisy.
"The visible policing presence on the streets may have influenced the behaviour of some demonstrators and our open and positive style of policing has been well responded to by the community and the demonstrators.
"There has been some traffic disruption to in the City Centre and in the area of East Road for some periods during the afternoon as the protestors moved through the City. We have worked hard with our partner agencies to keep this to a minimum."

Meanwhile, Cllr Tim Bick, leader of Cambridge City Council said: "I am very pleased  it was possible for free speech to be exercised peaceably and for the disruption to residents to be kept to a minimum. We are proud of the way the city has responded. The police put real effort into achieving a peaceful day for Cambridge and showed sensitivity to the interests of all our residents. 
 
"We value the contribution every community makes to the city and will continue to work with all local communities to maintain the high level of trust and respect that exists between us."
 
Liz Bisset, Director of Customer and Community Services, said: "The council did a lot of forward planning with the police to ensure that the protests did not impact too severely on the residents and visitors going about their business.   We had teams of people working hard to keep the city clean and to support the police operation."