PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has branded alleged plans for anti-immigrant protests this weekend as "utter nonsense".

Social media messages in recent days have called for anti protests to be held across the North on Saturday, including Belfast, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, Larne, Bangor and North Down. One post circulated urges “woman and children to the front” in various locations.

Another post calls on all “well intentioned Christians, parents and law-abiding citizens” to take part in a march from Belfast City Hall to Belfast Islamic Centre at University Street in south Belfast “to demand a withdrawal from our communities and our Christian country”.

People have also been urged to bring “Christian flags and banners” as well as well as Irish tricolours and Union flags.

Asked about the planned protests at a Policing Board meeting on Thursday, Mr Boutcher said he was aware of the plans and was preparing for the potential protests.

“We are still trying to understand who is behind it,” he said. “There’s no set organisation showing themselves on social media, which sort of defines the cowardly nature of the people who do this nonsense.

“There is obviously from the social media calling an intention to try and do something on Saturday.

“We have got a gold structure in place around this, we are looking into the intelligence now to see who, if anybody, is actually involved and going to respond to this.

“This is based on poisonous nonsense, it has no basis in a society that see what hatefulness can do to a society and I would appeal for everybody, everybody, to push back against any of this utter awful nonsense.

“If there is going to be any gatherings, we will police them and we will police them effectively.”

Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton added: “Protest is a fundamental human right. Our main concern around this is the fact that it’s simply people intent on stirring up fear and hatred.

“I would ask that anybody that does intend to engage in any form of protest activity follows the advice that we issue to the public regularly on this.”