GETTY • REUTERS Clashes between riot police and Pegida supporters broke out in Calais

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In Birmingham about 250 supporters of pan-European anti-immigration group PEGIDA faced about 60 pro-refugee demonstrators. PEGIDA supporters carried placards with slogans including ‘Rape Culture is being Imported’ and ‘We will not stay silent as women are raped’. The far-right group even claimed that 100,000 Britons will be marching alongside them "by the end of the year". PEGIDA leader Paul Weston said: "The next meeting we have is going to be double or treble the numbers. "By the end of this year, and I'm been quite serious, I want to see 100,000 decent people on the street". Police in Birmingham were also forced to defend the number of officers deployed to the scene in Birmingham, with some protestors calling the response an "overreaction". A 39-year-old man was arrested at the rally for a public order offence. The mile-long "silent march" in Birmingham was pushed out into the outskirts amid the heavy police deployment. The event was the first to be organised by Tommy Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League.

GETTY Tommy Robison led the British efforts of the Pegida movement

Organisers said the protest would be a “peaceful, silent demonstration” to symbolise “the way the British people have been silenced and forbidden by political correctness from discussing critically important national issues like immigration and the rising influence of radical Islam”. Tommy Robinson, now part of Pegida’s UK chapter, said: "The growing influence Islam has on society is not good for society. “The more Islam the less freedom, that's a reality." Solihull Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Alex Murray, said: "We’ve been planning the operation for months. "We had a large police presence on the ground, including protest liaison officers, in order to deal effectively with any issues. "Our negotiations with Pegida representatives were positive and they stressed their intentions to express their views lawfully."

GETTY Protests in Birmingham praised Donald Trump's comments on Muslims

Elsewhere in Europe the demonstrations were bigger and more violent as anger over the recent flood of migrants even reached Australia. Police in Dresden, Germany, saw about 2,000 protesters at a rally named "Fortess of Europe", organised by the group Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West – the full name of PEGIDA. Calais also saw violent clashes. Other demonstrations took place in Warsaw and Graz in southern Austria and parts of France, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. In the Czech capital of Prague, thousands rallied against the influx of refugees and others in support of them and opposing protesters clashed and had to be separated by police.

GETTY Protests in Dresden were nicknamed the "Fortress of Europe"

REUTERS Demonstrators in Warsaw said England and France had been

The fraught clashes erupted after rival marches began to throw bottles and stones at each other. Warsaw saw around 1,000 people march throughout the centre of the city with people chanting: "England and France are in tears, that's how tolerance ends". The leader of the National Movement, Robert Winnicki, said: "Europe is now invaded by organized groups of people who want to dominate our continent. "Central Europe is still in rather good situation, because there are not millions of Muslims here , as it is for example in Germany."

GETTY UK PEGIDA leaders promised 100,000 people on the streets marching against migrants by end of year

GETTY Protests in Prague saw more than 2,000 people turn out in support

In Canberra, the capital of Australia, 400 people marched toward parliament to stage a rally against so-called radical Islam.

PHOTOSHOT Protests even reached Canberra, the capital of Australia

French demonstrators turned up to march in Calais despite the French government banning the Pegida rally from taking place. Brawls broke out after nearly 200 people gathered in the northern French port town which is home to more than 4,000 refugees staying in the notorious migrant camp dubbed the ‘Jungle’. The march took place amid a tense atmosphere as hundreds had been banned by local authorities and France's Interior Ministry had taken extreme measures to prevent the demonstration from going ahead. Police officers in riot gear tried to disperse demonstrators who were chanting “Migrants aren’t welcome”, “This is our country” and “Migrants are committing rape and they’re arresting us”.

As tensions mounted officers used tear gas to disperse the crowds armed with French flags and Pegida banners. Some demonstrators were seeing doing the Nazi salute. Around 20 arrests were made during the unrest, according to Calais police. PEGIDA supporters gathered in Calais centre to demonstrate despite the rally being banned by French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve earlier in the week in order avoid public disorder.

GETTY Calais police made around 20 arrests

GETTY Pegida supporters turned up despite France banning the group's demonstration

Look at people’s anger, their discontent - sooner or later it’s going to end badly Loïc Perdriel

Authorities in Calais said a ban had been put in place due to a risk of “clashes between the far-right and far-left”. Chaotic scenes broke out in Calais during a pro-migrant march organised by anarchist group No Borders which saw clashes between residents and demonstrators. The unrest climaxed with migrants storming into the port of Calais and boarding a UK ferry. Leader of Pegida France Loïc Perdriel urged the group’s supporters to rally in defiance of the French government’s ban.

REUTERS Around 200 protestors turned up in Calais

Mr Perdriel said the demonstration was organised to “denounce the invasion of Calais that we are subjected to every day: attacks, unrest, theft…it can’t go on.” The PEGIDA leader added: “It’s getting worse every day and it’s far from over. “Look at people’s anger, their discontent - sooner or later it’s going to end badly and I think everyone knows it.” Mr Perdriel said Pegida must have a presence in France because “the fight against Islamisation is the most important thing today - we’re seeing mosques financed by the State sprouting up like mushrooms.”

REUTERS Calais is home to more than 4,000 refugees

Thousands of people took part in PEGIDA rallies across Europe today to demonstrate against “mass immigration and the Islamisation of the West”.

SWNS Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson leads the right-wing Pegida UK march in Birmingham

SWNS Around 250 Pegida supporters demonstrated in Birmingham

Many demonstrators held banners reading: “Trump is right” during the march which started at 2pm. A statement on the Pegida UK website said the group was marching in Birmingham “to unite communities and tell them about our common threats - militant threats - militant Islam, sharia law and Islamic supremacism”.

REUTERS Riot police were deployed during a Pegida rally in Dublin

A counter-protest organised by Birmingham Unite Against Fascism also took place in Birmingham city centre, accusing Pegida of attempting to “bring division”. Salma Yaqoob, an activist, said: “Birmingham is a diverse and multicultural city and we are proud of this. We stand against Pegida and their racist, Islamophobic and fascist views.” German police said about 15,000 people marched in a Pegida rally in Dresden - where the group was founded two years ago. Another 10,000 people took place in a counter-demonstration on the other side of the city.

EPA Clashes also broke out during the Pegida rally in Amsterdam

IG Clahses broke out in Dublin as protests took place in 15 cities around the world

GETTY Protests in Dublin as European Pegida movements united for the day