Violence breaks out as KKK and Black Panthers clash at rally

Five people have been arrested after supporters of the Ku Klux Klan and Black rights' activists, the Black Panthers, clashed at a rally in South Carolina.

The violent stand-off between the 2,000 strong crowd broke out as the Confederate flag was removed from the grounds of the State House in Columbia yesterday.

A file picture of the Ku Klux Klan.

The flag has become the subject of controversy due to its link to the gunman involved in an attack on a black church in Charleston.

Seven people were hospitalised following the clashes.