EDL protesters parade through Luton

Thousands of English Defence League (EDL) supporters have descended on the town that spawned the far-right movement for a rally.

The group will gather in Luton, where counter-demonstrations have been organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and sections of the town's Muslim community.

A massive police operation has been launched with more than a thousand officers on the streets at a cost of more than £800,000.

Senior EDL members claim more than 4,000 supporters from across Britain and overseas will converge on Luton for a march and rally. The event has been billed with the slogan "Back to Where It All Began" alongside images of EDL members in balaclavas.

Founder Stephen Lennon, 28, said: "We want it to be peaceful. We want to get our point across. We want our local and national issues at the forefront, not anything else."

Kelvin Hopkins, Labour MP for Luton North, said: "Freedom of speech is important but when outsiders are determined to come into Luton and incite racial hatred they should not be permitted to do so."

The EDL has been controversial ever since its formation almost two years ago.

The far-right street protest movement opposes what it sees as the spread of Sharia law and militant Islam in England.

Their regular protests in towns and cities across the country frequently descend into violence as they are met by counter-demonstrations, often organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF).

The demonstration was taking place just hours after Prime Minster David Cameron delivered a speech in Munich in which he declared that multiculturalism had failed in the UK and he called for a "muscular liberalism" that challenges Islamist extremism more forcefully.