An anti-Islam demo which ended in a mass brawl where 13 people were arrested cost taxpayers almost £1million.
The far-right English Defence League picked Bradford for Saturday’s rally, insisting it would be peaceful.
But the day ended in violent clashes, with bricks and bottles hurled at anti-racism campaigners as the demo reached boiling point.
Police used riot shields to keep the two warring sides back. But yesterday it emerged it cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to control them.
West Yorkshire Police used 2,000 officers and spent £600,000 during the operation.
Bradford Council also forked out £100,000 on concrete reinforcements around the EDL’s Urban Gardens demo site.
And the cost to local trade is estimated to have been £100,000, without taking into account damage to tourism. Once everything is factored in, including clearing up, the demo could turn out to have cost almost £1m. The area is one of
Britain’s “tinderbox cities” and was targeted because of the racial tensions there.
Police said 13 men were arrested for public order offences and violence offences during Saturday’s demo, most of them from Bradford.
They also confirmed 100 of the 1,000 taking part climbed over a temporary 8ft barricade to throw missiles at opponents.
The EDL had wanted to march through the city but a 10,000-signature protest saw it banned by Home Secretary Theresa May.
Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison said: “The ban of the march seems to have worked. No officers were seriously injured and there was no damage to property. The containment of trouble comes at a cost but it has been money well spent.”
The EDL has held several protests in the past couple of years, including one at Newcastle in May which saw 1,000 members mass in the city without incident.
But 12 people were arrested at an EDL protest in Aylesbury, Bucks, also in May.
Daily Star
