Violence between groups of men broke out in east London on Thursday night and police said the unrest was linked to protests in Bangladesh.
Police intervened to separate two large groups fighting in the street in the Whitechapel district alongside a wider demonstration involving several hundred people.
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Whitechapel, famous for the curry houses of Brick Lane, is home to a large ethnic Bangladeshi population who form the biggest ethnic group in the wider Tower Hamlets borough.
“I recognise that events that take place in Bangladesh can have a significant impact on communities here in Tower Hamlets, but we cannot allow that strength of feeling to tip into threats, violence and disorder,” Police Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway said.
A number of cars were damaged and two officers were injured as police formed a barrier between the opposing crowds with protective shields.
Footage of the unrest from social media showed dozens of men throwing projectiles and attacking the gates of a building in the area. One man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence.
Dozens of people have been killed in Bangladesh this week in violent clashes with security forces after protests initially sparked by student anger over controversial job quotas.