Police have praised members of the community in Dewsbury after a demonstration by the English Defence League (EDL) right-wing campaign group passed off without serious incident.
Around 450 supporters of the EDL took part in Saturday’s (June 30) protest outside Dewsbury Town Hall.
A counter-demo in Foundry Street organised by the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) group was attended by about 50 people.
Police said five arrests were made for “minor incidents”.
West Yorkshire Police’s Kirklees division commander, Chief Supt David Lunn, said: “I am very proud of the community response to [Saturday’s] events.
“This helped enable the protests to pass peacefully, safely and without serious incident.
“The feedback we have received from the public and local businesses has been very favourable.”
Kirklees Council leader Coun Mehboob Khan took to Twitter to condemn the EDL demo, saying it had cost taxpayers the “best part of £500,000”.
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said it was not yet possible to put a figure on the cost of Saturday’s policing operation but confirmed it had involved “significant resources”.
The policing bill for protests in Leeds by the EDL and UAF in 2009 was £345,000.