In a move to oppose Saturday's march, Stand Up To Racism organized a counter protest called the Birmingham United anti-racist event.
Stand Up To Racism said it was pushing a "message of unity and opposition to racism and Islamophobia on the streets of Birmingham," according to the group's Facebook page.
The group said the Football Lads Alliance (FLA) was promoting "hatred and intolerance" during Saturday's march.
The FLA's calls for "anti-extremist" protests have raised concern among locals and anti-racists who fear the march could be the UK's biggest ever Islamophobic mobilization.
A key speaker at the event is anti-Islam advocate Anne Marie Waters, the founder and leader of the far-right party For Britain. Waters has called Islam "evil" and has links to a former member of the fascist British National Party.
British police were deployed in Birmingham city center in anticipation of potential violence.
Birmingham is the largest and most populous British city outside London, with an estimated population of 1.1 million. About 22 percent of the city’s residents identify themselves as Muslim, significantly higher than the average for England and Wales of 4.8 percent.
UK official figures show that hate crimes against Muslims and other groups have soared in recent years. According to a report by Britain's Home Office, hate crimes surged nearly 30 percent in the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum as well as the 2017 terrorist attacks in Westminster Bridge and Manchester.
