Antifa outnumbered white supremacists during a protest in front of the White House which saw the two rival groups hurl slogans at each other before being escorted away by the police.

Neo-Nazis and members of the far right gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue carrying American flags and chanting “build the wall” to show their opposition to the verdict in the Kate Steinle trial.

Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, an undocumented Mexican immigrant, was found not guilty of murder last week in the killing of a woman on a San Francisco pier that sparked a national immigration debate two years ago. The jury found him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Around 25 white nationalists, including far right poster boy Richard Spencer, were confronted by approximately 50 Antifa protesters yelling “Nazi scum off our streets!” and clutching placards with slogans such as “Stop Racial Scapegoating”.

Antifa, shorthand for anti-fascist protesters, refers to a loose decentralised coalition of groups who oppose fascism via popular grassroots action rather than relying on the police or the state.

(AFP/Getty Images (AFP/Getty Images)

The white nationalist’s rally, which called for more stringent laws on immigration, lasted 20 minutes before police on bikes and horseback succeeded in separating the opposing groups before clashes broke out. Police managed to escort far right demonstrators away from the scene.

Spencer, who is credited with coining the term “alt-right”, urged people to join him for the protest on Twitter, saying: “Join me on Sunday at 2pm in Lafayette Square to demand Trump build #KatesWall.”

Spencer helped organise the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville which saw neo-Nazis, KKK members and “alt-right” supporters descend on the ordinarily quiet university town. Tensions between fascists and counter protestors turned deadly after a 20-year-old man, who officials say had Nazi sympathies, deliberately ploughed his car into the crowd of peaceful anti-fascist demonstrators and killed a female civil rights activist.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

Spencer addressed US President Donald Trump directly through his microphone at the recent White House demonstration, saying: “Kate could have been your daughter too.”

He shouted: “Kate Steinle’s death has touched everyone that’s here. She represented everything that is white and wonderful about this country.”

President Trump has condemned the acquittal of Mr Zarate and used the case to launch an attack on illegal immigration.

“A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration,” he tweeted last week before claiming it was a “total miscarriage of Justice” on Sunday.

Mr Zarate, who had been deported five times and served time in federal prison for illegally re-entering the US, was found not guilty of first or second-degree murder or assault with a firearm.

Mr Zarate’s lawyer for the case released a statement last week urging President Trump to “reflect” on his own “presumption of innocence beyond a reasonable doubt” in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation before deciding to comment on the Steinle case.

The Steinle case became a flashpoint over debates on immigration policy and Mr Trump regularly used the case to call for stricter immigration policies during the 2016 presidential election.