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Katie Hopkins was forced to cancel a talk about her new book last night after protesters descended on the Sussex town where she was due to appear.

More than 100 activists took to the streets of Lewes, parading with banners and chanting slogans before it was announced the controversial columnist would no longer be appearing.

She had been due on stage at the Lewes Speakers Festival at 6.45pm to promote her novel, which is billed as 'part memoir, part handbook for the modern woman'.

But the event was pulled after police became concerned for the safety of the former Apprentice contestant.

The 42-year-old mother-of-three tweeted at 7pm, saying: "Protestors in Lewes. Please be clear. I have left the building. Please disperse peacefully. My thanks to @sussex_police."

(Image: Peter Cripps) (Image: Peter Cripps)

Officers at the scene confirmed she had left the building and her talk was cancelled due to concerns for her safety.

While many were delighted by the decision, others voiced concern about what they saw as the protesters ability to curtail Ms Hopkins right to freedom of speech.

Eric Griffin wrote on social media "Whilst I find Katie Hopkins' views repugnant, my view of free speech does not include people cancelling speeches for fear of their safety, as advised by the police.

"The best response would have been for no-one to have turned up at all. She has the right to speak, we have the right to ignore her."

(Image: Peter Cripps) (Image: Brighton Pictures) (Image: Getty)

But activists said they felt they 'had done their job', adding they condemned her 'hateful' views.

Miss Hopkins has previously caused outrage by likening refugees to cockroaches and calling for a "final solution" to Islamist terrorism — seen by some as a reference to the extermination of Jewish people by the Nazis.

The latter led to her being sacked from her LBC chat show.

(Image: Peter Cripps) (Image: Peter Cripps)

One protester, Andrew Chitty, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Sussex, said "I think it is quite shameful that Katie Hopkins has been invited to speak here.

"Someone who describes refugees as cockroaches is someone who really should not be invited to talk at a speaker's festival.

"They have invited someone to basically spew hate speech and that is why I am here to protest against it."

Protesters chanted 'no hate no fear refugees are welcome here' and 'shame on the council', with many feeling Lewes Town Council should not have allowed the talk to go ahead.

Another demonstrator, who asked not to be named, said "I live in this area and what I don't like is someone like her with the vindictive rhetoric that she peddles coming to my area in a council building where she shouldn't be able to speak."