Around 300 people have joined a protest in Mold, Flintshire, to oppose any possible plan to provide accommodation for asylum seekers in the town.
Held outside the Poundland shop on Saturday, demonstrators were unhappy about rumours that some flats in the town could be used to house asylum seekers.
Meanwhile about 40 people took part in a counter protest nearby with banners which read “no to racism” and “asylum seekers welcome”.
Police officers had to stand between the two sides at one point during some confrontational scenes.
The Home Office has declined to comment.
Netty Lloyd, 49, one of the organisers of the protest, said: “I’ve lived in Mold for 49 years. We need our community to stay together, look after each other, and support our own first”
However, one of the counter-protesters, Benjamin Lawrence Jones, said he wanted to come and show his support for “people from different backgrounds”.
“We were standing our ground, singing our songs, and standing up for what we believe in, which at the end of the day is the main thing,” he added.
It comes as dozens of protests have been taking place across the UK about the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers.
It follows a High Court injunction, sought by Epping Forest District Council, which mandates that 140 migrants being housed at The Bell Hotel, in Epping, will have to be moved to alternative accommodation by 12 September.
