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Further protests in Morecambe and Lancaster following Southport knife deaths

Counter-protesters at the Eric Morecambe Statue fly flags including one with the word 'Peace', as a march approached along the Promenade on Sunday.

Further protests have taken place in Morecambe and Lancaster sparked by the deaths of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport.

Demonstrations on Saturday in Lancaster and Sunday in Morecambe passed off peacefully.

On Sunday afternoon, a group of 13 protesters set off from the Promenade opposite Morecambe Golf Club to walk to the War Memorial.

The march was organised by a local man, Alan Hoyle, (pictured below, right), who said in a series of public videos on social media that it was "a peaceful protest against illegal immigration".

Meanwhile a counter-protesting Unity Rally group of around 50 people, many holding 'Refugees Welcome' posters and one flying a flag which said 'Peace', had gathered at the Eric Morecambe Statue.

They chanted "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here!" as the march passed by on Sunday afternoon.

Some of the Unity Rally group are pictured below at the Eric statue on Sunday.

Central Morecambe was very busy at the time, on a hot sunny day, with people and families enjoying the beach and the seafront.

There were two police officers escorting the march and a number of other police present along the Promenade.

Beyond Radio's reporter at the scene witnessed no incidents of trouble as the protests took place.

On Saturday, a crowd of people had also gathered on Lancaster Town Hall steps as part of a nationwide unity movement of counter-protests across the UK.

Last Sunday, a Unity Rally of around 200 people and an anti-illegal immigration march and protest of around 60 people exchanged angry shouts and chants outside Lancaster Town Hall.

Mr Hoyle said the march was to "stand in solidarity with what's happened in Southport".

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, died in the Southport attack on July 20 and other children and adults were injured.

There have been several incidents of violent disorder and numerous arrests in cities across the UK over the past few weeks, stoked by a wave of misinformation online about the Southport attacker.

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