Police patrolled the streets as two rival protests clashed in the city centre over women's and transgender rights.

Tensions were high as hundreds crowded outside Norwich City Hall and the Norwich War Memorial in St Peters Street on Saturday.

The Let Women Speak rally, organised by a group who claim to be "gender critical feminists", was met by a counter-protest from trans activist groups who stood with their friends, holding pride flags.

READ MORE: Hundreds attend rival protests over women's and transgender issues

Led by activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, the event was designed to provide a free speech platform to defend women's sex-based rights, which she believes are threatened by trans ideology.

The public were encouraged to take to the stage to speak about their own experiences, however, previous Let Women Speak events around the UK and abroad have led to major clashes.

Videos throughout the day show how tempers flared in the city on Saturday afternoon, here are the key moments of the protests.

Eight police officers stood by as activists clashed verbally throughout the event.

Trans activists stood on the steps of Norwich City Hall and chanted: "Trans rights are human rights"

They wore masks and shielded themselves with umbrellas to protect their identities from those who shouted out threats and abuse towards them.

A middle-aged male, which passers by had described as a "rottweiler" stood on the edge of the road as he swore abuse at the transgender activists, taunting them to "come over".

He was later held back by police officers.

One person shouted across to the pro-women activists, calling them "scum" and "nazis".

They promptly left the rally after they were pulled away from the 'pro-women' crowd.

One woman who took to the stage, after she was welcomed by Ms Keen said: "Sometimes hearing people use terms like 'all genders' is like fingernails on a chalkboard."

She continued: "No, there are not all genders. There are two sexes, male and female.

"There is an 'X' chromosome and a 'Y' chromosome and being a woman cannot be reduced to a feeling in a man's head."

Ms Keen spoke to the crowd throughout the day, discussing how she had previously been arrested and called a 'nazi'. 

She said: "The thing that they don't realise, and by 'they' I mean to discriminate against them as a group, is the more they stand there opposing what we say, the more people walking past will say, why are those upstanding, relatively unemployed people over there opposing what these women are saying?"

The crowd laughed as she referred to the trans activists as "relatively unemployed" and stated "I mean to discriminate against them as a group".

Ms Keen's activism includes opposition to legal protections and policies that allow transgender people to be legally recognised as their gender.

This includes the use of public bathrooms and participation in sports which align with their gender, as well as the use of puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy for transgender children.