DOUBLE-DECKER buses started arriving at Wetherspoons in Hanley city centre shortly after noon.

The passengers shouted "England, England, England" and "EDL, EDL, EDL". Two were arrested within seconds of them getting off the bus.

"I'm English 'til I die, English 'til I die," was the next song, one of many chanted by the protesters throughout the afternoon.

They had come from all over England, and from Wales and Scotland.

Many wore EDL tops with their respective 'division' – the name of town where they come from – printed on the back. Dozens had placards, banners and flags.

By 12.30pm, as the buses continued to ferry EDL members from Stoke station, the songs became less about England and more about their feelings towards Muslim extremists.

These included "Muslim bombers off our streets" and "No surrender to the Taliban".

One banner stated, 'One Nation, One Law, NO to Sharia Law in the UK'.

Although many had travelled from the other side of the country, the Potteries was well represented.

Adam Daniels, aged 23, from Tunstall, said: "We want equal opportunities. They seem to get housing before us."

Daniel Lucas, aged 28, from Ball Green, said: "I have come for a peaceful protest. The door should be shut to this country because it is full. We are a minority in our own community."

Forty-two-year-old John Sanders, an HGV driver who travelled from Bristol, said: "I am here because Islam is taking over the country."

Former Stoke-on-Trent city councillor Jenny Holdcroft, aged 60, from Biddulph, said: "People have to come out and be strong and stand together because if not, we are going to lose this country."

At 2pm the EDL, and others who had gathered, made their way from Wetherspoons to Albion Street, opposite Argos. They went right up to the line of police who were on duty to stop them clashing with rival protesters from UAF (Unite Against Fascism) who marched from Shelton to Hanley Town Hall.

There was no way through but at 2.39pm the EDL crowd made a surge to try to break the police line. A few officers had their helmets taken from their heads. These were thrown back through the crowd to cheers.

EDL organisers tried to persuade the mob to come back and listen to speakers. But their loud speaker system was poor and ineffective.

Several people hurled bottles and other missiles towards police. Some men jumped on the top of a bus stop outside Argos while two youths could be seen showing off with a police helmet on the top of the arcade roof. There was another surge towards the officers when they went to arrest those youths.

Shane Davis, a 20-year-old railway worker from Penkhull, said: "It is my first EDL protest. We are not racist, we are against anybody who wants to bomb us."

Lines of police stopped the mob walking down Percy Street and into the city centre. Thugs tried to tip over a yellow police van, brought in from Warwickshire, and one hooligan jumped on the bonnet and repeatedly kicked the windscreen until it smashed.

Staffordshire University student Kieran Hulme, aged 30, from Newcastle, said: "I am an EDL supporter. I just think it is a shame a minority of people have spoiled it for the rest of us. There are some people intent on trouble."

At about 4pm the EDL organisers did their best to stop the mob running riot by encouraging them to board their buses back to the train station or make their way home.

"You are going to get us banned. The EDL do not want trouble," said a spokesman over a loud speaker.

Paul Walker, spokesman for EDL Stoke-on-Trent, said he was upset by the trouble. He said: "EDL members have been antagonised by the police. We are not racist, not bigots, not Nazis, we are shocked how we have been portrayed."

Andy Rumley, an EDL supporter from Reading, got caught up in the demonstration when trouble flared between the EDL and the police opposite Argos.

Andy, aged 44, who came to Stoke-on-Trent on a coach, was struck on the head with a brick and required hospital treatment.

He said: "This is the first demonstration I've been to but I was just sticking up for what I believe in."

Dan Johnson, area manager for Wetherspoons, said although the atmosphere was lively, there wasn't any trouble with the EDL supporters.

He said: "We worked closely with the police to make sure the situation was under control. We did not have any choice in the matter. The EDL told us that they would be coming to the pub before the demonstration and we had to deal with that."