British police on Sunday arrested 55 people for aggravated trespassing following a protest against interfaith marriage at the Gurdwara Temple in Leamington Spa, central England.

"A significant number of bladed weapons were seized from the scene," said Warwickshire police chief David Garner.

Police noted that the incident was not related to terrorism, adding that it was "an escalation of an ongoing local dispute."

Sikh Council UK Secretary General Gurmel Singh said the protesters walked into the temple freely and did not break into it, contradicting police reports that they were trespassing.

"Marriage is a sacred institution and in our culture we have no problem with people of different races getting married, but the religious doctrine says this particular ceremony is reserved for two Sikhs," Singh told AFP news agency.

The Sikh 2 Inspire group claimed that those arrested at the temple were carrying a ceremonial Sikh dagger known as the kirpan.

"The media and police have victimized the Sikh appearance and defamed the Sikh community in the UK," the group said in a statement on Facebook.

Sikhs comprise 0.8 of the population in England and Wales with more than 420,000 people.

Racial tensions have risen in the wake of the "Brexit" referendum, which witnessed "Leave" voters narrowly clinch a victory at the polls.

ls/gsw (AFP, AP)