TWO people were arrested for public order offences as anger erupted during a St George's Day march by a Far-Right party.

Police formed a cordon around members of the National Front as protestors, including members of the Anti-Nazi League, barracked and jeered them in the centre of Newcastle.

Between 60 and 100 members of the National Front, mostly from the region and many carrying Cross of St George flags, marched from the Quayside to the Bigg Market on Saturday morning, one of two events celebrating the day of England's patron saint George on Friday that the party is holding.

The march was halted briefly on the Quayside when the marchers were pelted with plastic bags of liquid, possibly urine, from the Tyne Bridge above.

A bigger crowd of protestors gathered at the junction of Dean Street and Mosley Street and chanted "Nazi scum off our street''.

As tempers flared, dozens of officers kept the two factions apart, barring people from going into some streets until the marchers had reached the Bigg Market.

There they were addressed by National Front organiser Terry Blackham while protestors jeered and shouted abuse.

Among the protestors was Yvonne Ridley, a former Northern Echo journalist who was taken hostage by the Taliban, in Afghanistan, four years ago.

Miss Ridley, now a freelance writer who has converted to Islam, is one of the North-East candidates in this summer's European elections that will be fielded by Respect the Unity Coalition, formed out of the anti-Iraq war movement.

She said: "Members of the TUC broke off their regional conference to come and show their disgust that this rally is being held.

"I can't believe that Newcastle has been allowed to be soiled by this Nazi scum.

"There are only about 50 of them, but the fact is they are targeting Newcastle to spew out their racial hatred in front of ethnic minority restaurants. Anyone else would be arrested.''

The National Front's Mr Blackham said turn-out for the march had been affected by it being put back to the morning - on police orders - instead of being held in the afternoon.

"We are willing to work along with the police to ensure everything passes off peacefully,'' he said.

"Everyone else is able to celebrate their national day and we feel we should be able to celebrate St George.

"We feel strongly that St George's Day should be a public holiday."

Northumbria Police said there was two arrests, but the march passed off without serious incident.