Britain's youngest race equality commissioner, Mohammed Amran, has lodged a complaint against police who threatened to arrest him as trouble flared outside the Bradford City's derby match with Leeds United.

Mr Amran, 24, was with a group of Anti-Nazi League protesters handing out leaflets to fans before the Premiership game at Valley Parade.

When protester Marie Stephenson was injured by a thrown bottle, police apprehended Mr Amran. "The policeman said to me, 'You are going to be arrested for assault'," said Mr Amran.

"He took me up to the van and it was only local Councillor Tony Niland who stopped me being arrested. He pointed out the person he saw throwing the bottle. Then they said I was OK to go."

Mr Amran has now lodged a formal complaint with Toller Lane police and says senior officers have responded with a counter-claim about his own conduct, to his bosses at the Commission for Racial Equality in London.

Today, police refused to comment other than to confirm that Mr Amran's complaint was being investigated.

In a letter to Superintendent Phil Read at Toller Lane police, Mr Amran says: "I am upset that I was a victim of racial abuse and the police failed to protect me. Many members of the public who were present at the time witnessed this, and were extremely shocked at the police's inaction to deal with the situation - your department has failed the public and me."

A spokesman for the CRE in London said: "Mr Amran has lodged a complaint and that is the appropriate route for him to go down. We are supporting his complaint. It's particularly poignant that this has happened to one of our commissioners. If someone in this position gets treated in this way, an ordinary citizen, without special links, must be much more vulnerable."

Police have appealed for further witnesses to the incident involving Mrs Stephenson to come forward.

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