FOUR people have been arrested amid a large protest against coronavirus restrictions today.
About 250 people gathered in Brighton and Hove for the demonstration today, which was organised by campaign group Save Our Rights UK.
The group has previously organised anti-lockdown protests in the city, and was also responsible for co-ordinating marches up and down the country today.
There was a heavy police presence with a large number of officers escorting the procession as it made its way along Brighton seafront and then around the city centre.
Force vans and motorbikes also followed the crowd.
Ahead of the protest, Sussex Police Chief Superintendent Jane Derrick warned that "those who choose to flout or break the rules and put other’s lives at risk will face the risk of enforcement".
The force made four arrests during the protest, but only one of these was for breaking Covid restrictions.
Two men aged 57 and 20 were arrested on suspicion of assaulting two police officers who suffered minor injuries.
A 61-year-old man was detained on suspicion of committing a public order offence, and a 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of breaching coronavirus rules.
Chief Supt Derrick said: "We still remain in a global pandemic and there are rules and regulations in place to protect our communities and help prevent the spread of the virus.
“People have the right to protest and this is a well-established and key part of our democracy.
"However, coronavirus is a deadly disease and there are restrictions in place to prevent its spread and ensure our local businesses can remain open for trading.
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"We made four arrests today and we are continuing to investigate the organisation of this event to determine whether there have been any further breaches of the Covid legislation.
"We would like to thank the community of Brighton for their patience while this event, which caused some disruption to the city centre, took place."
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