SIR – It is outrageous that the police and Bradford Council have connived with the racist EDL to take over the centre of Bradford tomorrow.

They are closing Bridge Street and handing it over to the fascists. This will cause havoc to bus, rail, taxi and car drivers, who will not be able to get into the Interchange train and bus station.

It will also impinge on the businesses in and around the Interchange, such as the Queen Hotel, the Victoria Hotel, St George’s Hall, Gala bingo and the City3 bar of the Hilton Hotel, as well as a number of smaller businesses in the vicinity.

Also on Saturday there is to be the opening of a photographic exhibition and book signing at the Impressions Gallery on the edge of the City Park. How will people get there?

They are also kettling those who wish to affirm that “We Are Bradford” in the urban garden. This was where the EDL was confined last time they came to town, while our multi-cultural concert was in the car park behind the Victoria.

Why couldn’t this arrangement have been repeated?

Karl Dallas, Church Green, Bradford

RESPONSE: The English Defence League’s agenda is abhorrent to the overwhelming majority of Bradfordians and we do not want them in our city or district.

What is outrageous is that the life of our city may again be disrupted by opposing national protest groups.

The Council and the police do not have any legal powers to ban the protests. We are therefore currently working together, and with local organisations and businesses, to manage the demonstrations to ensure public safety, get the protesters out of the city quickly after the demonstrations, and minimise disruption. The arrangements that have been put in place are designed to separate the EDL from other protesters, so that local people can go about their daily lives as normally as possible on Saturday.

It is not simply a matter of replicating the events of 2010. The physical landscape of the city has changed since 2010 and this has to be taken into account.

Such demonstrations cost taxpayers and city centre retailers many hundreds of thousands of pounds, through the public resources needed to manage them and retailers’ lost business.

We are not telling people to stay out of their city centre or not to go shopping, and we are encouraging city centre businesses to continue business as usual. We are urging everyone not to allow extremists to provoke them into confronting the planned demonstrations.

We would also urge people to attend the ‘Bradford Together’ – a partnership of community and faith groups – community event today between 1pm and 6pm in Centenary Square. The community event will celebrate Bradford and give Bradfordians an opportunity to respond to the planned demonstrations in a peaceful, united and dignified way.

West Yorkshire Police are experienced and very capable of managing such demonstrations. There will be plenty of police officers working in the city centre on the day, to maintain public safety and reassure and assist local people and businesses.

Coun David Green, Leader of Bradford Council