British Government bans National Front march

The British Government yesterday banned a weekend march by the far-right National Front in Birmingham and extended the prohibition to other extremist demonstrations there for the rest of the summer.

Birmingham becomes the seventh place to ban the National Front since a series of race riots in northern towns in June and July.

Home Office Minister Beverley Hughes says the ban was made after hearing the concerns of local people afraid that the march could inflame community relations and spark violence.