The organisers of an annual event to mark the Chartist’s history in Newport have denied claims made by a pro-Palestine group about a protestor being “unjustly arrested” after disrupting their march.

Newport Rising, who organise the annual march to honour the legacy of the Chartists, have disputed claims by the Newport Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) of “assault or intimidation” at Saturday’s march.

The PSC claim one of their protestors was “unjustly arrested” amid the organisation’s attempts to “supress our lawful, peaceful protest”.

They say that a number of others were also “physically assaulted” by Newport Rising stewards, a claim which both the director and chairman of Newport Rising, who were both present at the march, dispute.

Director of Newport Rising David Daniel has described the PSC’s version of events as a “significant misrepresentation” of what happened on Saturday night.

Although the PSC have alleged that Newport Rising were working with Gwent Police to disrupt their protest, Mr Daniel has said that this is “untrue” and they were simply making the authorities aware of the “potential for disruption” as their responsibility as organisers of a “large public procession”, attended by more than 1500 people.

He said: “At all times, our number one priority was the safety and well-being of all of those participants.

“We communicated our information to Gwent Police to ensure the safety and smooth progression of our event.”

According to Mr Daniel, and Eoghan Mortell, chairman of Newport Rising, who were both present, a peaceful protest had been taking place at the bottom of Stow Hill, and upon the march’s approach, one man broke away from the crowd and lay down in the road at the narrowest point with a placard in the air, blocking access.

Mr Mortell told the Argus: “A police officer asked him politely to move, but he stayed in position, so the officer, with some stewards, carried him from where he was.

“Our march then went on as planned, and even though I stayed back a bit, I didn’t see anything that could be classed as assault or intimidation at all.”

The protestor’s actions have been described by Newport Rising as posing a “safety risk”, but they dispute any claims by the PSC of “suppression, intimidation, and harassment”.

Mr Daniel highlighted that the event celebrates the community and welcomes people expressing solidarity with a variety of causes, including Palestine, and said that no reports of “inappropriate behaviour” by stewards had been received.

He said: “We are disappointed that the PSC chose to attempt to disrupt a family-friendly, charity-organised procession that aims to honour Newport's rich history and the spirit of the Chartists.

 “We also find it perplexing that the PSC would deem it appropriate to target our event in this manner, particularly as our community has always embraced diverse voices and causes.”

A spokesperson for Gwent Police confirmed that a 57-year-old man from Newport was arrested “on suspicion of the wilful obstruction of a highway” under the Highways Act 1990.

They also confirmed he was “later released under investigation”.