Police intervened to separate about 150 far-right protesters from a much larger anti-racism demo in central London yesterday to stop them from coming to blows over the killing of a British soldier on a busy street last week.

A number of protests and counter-protests have taken place in the wake of the May 22 killing of Lee Rigby, a serving soldier and veteran of the war in Afghanistan, which the authorities are treating as a terrorist incident.

Michael Adebowale and Michael Adebolajo are now in custody on suspicion of killing Rigby. Adebowale has been charged with murder and possession of a firearm.

Small but noisy far-right groups have taken to the streets several times since Rigby's killing to express anti-Muslim views. Their actions have been widely condemned and police, politicians and religious leaders have appealed for calm.

The protest by the far-right British National Party (BNP) near the Houses of Parliament was dwarfed by a counter-demonstration by a group called Unite Against Fascism (UAF).

Rigby's family issued a statement on Friday (May 31) saying his death should not be used as a pretext for reprisal attacks against Muslims.