<p>Authorities arrested 90 people after racially charged violence erupted between a group protesting Islamic extremism and counter-demonstrators in the central English city of Birmingham, police said on Sunday. <br /><br />The clashes erupted on Saturday when a rally by the English Defence League ran into counter-demonstrators including anti-fascists and youths of South Asian descent, West Midlands Police said. About 200 people were involved in the clashes in downtown Birmingham, police said. <br /><br />Television footage showed masked or hooded youths throwing projectiles and running from riot police through the diverse city’s downtown area. Police said the 90 people detained — all males aged 16 to 39 — were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and violent disorder. <br /><br />It was not immediately clear how many were protesters and how many were counter-demonstrators. <br /><br />Clashes also erupted last month during a similar demonstration in Birmingham, a diverse city of about 1 million where nearly a third of the population is nonwhite. <br /><br />The English Defence League blames counter-demonstrators for inciting violence at its rallies. It has planned protest marches in other cities, including one in Manchester next month.</p>
<p>Authorities arrested 90 people after racially charged violence erupted between a group protesting Islamic extremism and counter-demonstrators in the central English city of Birmingham, police said on Sunday. <br /><br />The clashes erupted on Saturday when a rally by the English Defence League ran into counter-demonstrators including anti-fascists and youths of South Asian descent, West Midlands Police said. About 200 people were involved in the clashes in downtown Birmingham, police said. <br /><br />Television footage showed masked or hooded youths throwing projectiles and running from riot police through the diverse city’s downtown area. Police said the 90 people detained — all males aged 16 to 39 — were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and violent disorder. <br /><br />It was not immediately clear how many were protesters and how many were counter-demonstrators. <br /><br />Clashes also erupted last month during a similar demonstration in Birmingham, a diverse city of about 1 million where nearly a third of the population is nonwhite. <br /><br />The English Defence League blames counter-demonstrators for inciting violence at its rallies. It has planned protest marches in other cities, including one in Manchester next month.</p>