Some 741 people have been arrested with 302 of them charged over rioting in parts of the country triggered by the deaths of three young girls in Southport.

       The figures from the the National Police Chiefs' Council came as about one thousand people gathered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for a counter-protest against several hundred anti-immigration demonstrators on Friday (August 9).

       A heavy police presence and barriers were put in place to keep the two groups apart outside Belfast City Hall, while Donegall Square North and Wellington Place were closed to traffic for several hours.

       People at the protest were seen holding signs with slogans such as "Shankill Road says no to illegal immigration" and chanting, "Send them home".

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