"You are not welcome here" - Northumbria Police's strong statement ahead of Newcastle weekend demonstrations

Hartlepool, Sunderland and Middlesbrough have already seen demonstrations turn violent over the past week with arrests being made in the wake of trouble across the North East.

Keen to ensure demonstrations to not spill over into further damage and violence within communities, Assistant Chief Constable Andrew Hill of Northumbria Police, said: “We are aware of potential protest activity to take place in our region in the coming days.

“The right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, however, we will not accept people using them as a means to commit crime.

“A robust policing presence has been stood up. Officer rest days has been cancelled and resources redeployed to ensure officers are out and visible in our communities to keep you safe.

“We have incredibly close-knit communities. This is just one of the reasons which makes our region such a special place to live, work and visit.

“We know there will be members of the community who are feeling frightened and marginalised at this time. We are here for you and we are committed to keeping you safe. These criminals do not speak for our communities.”

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“As you will have seen, a number of arrests have been made and people swiftly convicted following the disorder in Sunderland last week. They are likely to receive considerable sentences.

“This should act as a warning to anyone with the intention of causing any further disorder – you will face the full force of the law. You are not welcome in our region.”

The demonstrations in Newcastle are set to take place on Saturday, with a counter demonstration taking place at 9:30am before a right wing meeting in the early afternoon.

These are both expected to take place at Grey’s Monument.