A STRONG police presence will be on the streets tomorrow (Saturday, February 28) as rival rallies backed by thousands of supporters come face-to-face.

German-based protest group Pegida expects around 800 supporters to attend its first UK rally in Newcastle on Saturday.

Facing them will be an estimated 1,800 anti-fascist protestors under the Newcastle Unites banner, including high-profile comedian and activist Russell Brand and Respect MP George Galloway.

Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West, more commonly known as Pegida, insists tomorrow’s protest will be a peaceful protest against “extreme Islam”.

Supporters will gather for a rally in the Bigg Market at 11am including speeches from Paul Weston, leader of the group Liberty GB, and military veteran Robert Gray along with speakers from Germany and Pergida UK.

Newcastle Unites supporters will gather at Gallowgate at about 10:30am and march to Newgate Street, which leads into the Bigg Market, where they will hold a counter demonstration attended by a range of groups and campaigner and journalist Yvonne Ridley and local MPs Chi Onwurah and Dave Anderson.

Pegida officials have said that they hope the rally will be a peaceful protest, and have asked supporters not to drink alcohol during the event.

A spokesperson posted on the group’s official Facebook page: “We would like to remind everyone once again that this will be a peaceful rally where people from all walks of life will gather together to unite against extreme Islam, nothing else. We all have one main aim and that is to protect our British values and our culture”.

The movement was founded in Dresden in October by 41-year-old Lutz Bachmann. Since then, the group has attracted more than 25,000 supporters at weekly rallies in Germany, Norway, Denmark and Sweden and chose Newcastle for its first UK demonstration, ahead of further marches planned in Birmingham and London this year.

Newcastle Unites also insisted its counter-protest would remain peaceful. A spokeperson said: “We want our demonstration to show Newcastle at its best with the broadest possible coalition of groups, trade unions, political parties and campaigners coming together to oppose Pegida and everything they stand for”.

They added: “Our demonstration will be peaceful and a celebration of different communities coming together”.

Northumbria Police said officers would be on patrol to maintain order in the city cente during the rallies.

Newcastle Chief Superintendent Laura Young said: "There will also be some minor road closures while the two demonstrations take place but we will work to keep the roads open as much as possible and traffic flowing freely.”