ORGANISERS of Saturday’s 10,000-strong Black Lives Matter protest are planning a fresh march.

Thousands of anti-racist demonstrators filled the streets of Brighton at the weekend, at one stage forming a mile-long line along the seafront.

The protest was arranged in memory of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man who died as a white US police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.

The organisers had anticipated only “a couple of hundred people” would join the demonstration, and said they were blown away by the enormous turnout.

The Argus:

They have now set a provisional date of July 4 for the next march, to chime with US protests planned for Independence Day.

The organisers hope they will be see a repeat of Saturday’s huge turnout, but said: “It’s about the cause, not the numbers.

“Whether people are in the streets, in their homes, or on the way to work, what’s important is that they’re thinking about the movement and bringing about change.

The Argus:

“Even if people can’t turn up to protest, they can be rooting for us and what we’re doing.

“We’ll be making history, and everyone who joins us will know they’re part of something really special. We’ll be paving the way forward as we walk.

The organisers said they want to place extra emphasis on safety at the next march.

They have asked those who attended Saturday’s demonstration to remain in isolation for two weeks to minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus and said the same would apply next time.

They are also concerned about the risk of clashes with far-right demonstrators.

The Argus:

At Saturday’s march, tensions rose briefly as anti-racist demonstrators passed a small group of some 40 counter-protesters gathered around the Old Steine war memorial.

The counter-protesters said they wanted to “protect it from harm”.

Insults were hurled and a plastic bottle hit a police medic.

But a Black Lives Matter protester, who was given a microphone by Sussex Police officers, defused the tension and kept the march moving.

A spokeswoman for the upcoming Brighton BLM protest said: “We want the protest to be as peaceful as possible. If the far-right turn up, that will be a challenge – we don’t want anyone to be harmed. There weren’t that many counter-protesters there at Saturday’s march, but they may be more hostile next time.

“We were lucky with the last one, and I think we have to be more cautious and more prepared.”