Missiles thrown during Bradford EDL demonstration

EDL demonstrators were penned in at the city's Urban Gardens by hundreds of police

Bottles, stones and a smoke bomb were thrown during protests by a right-wing group and their opponents in Bradford.

Trouble flared at the city's Urban Gardens where a large crowd of English Defence League (EDL) supporters had gathered.

They were penned in by hundreds of police as a separate group of 300 people from Unite Against Fascism (UAF) assembled for a rival protest.

Thirteen men were arrested. An EDL supporter suffered leg injuries.

He was taken to hospital for treatment. A police officer reported receiving a minor injury.

Mounted police

West Yorkshire Police said those arrested were held for public order and violence offences.

Eight of the men were from Bradford and the others were from Wakefield, Leeds, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Birmingham.

Police had erected a temporary barricade around Urban Gardens to help them pen the protesters in the area.

During the protests, nearly 100 EDL supporters climbed over the 8ft (2.4m) barricade to get on to neighbouring waste ground from where they threw missiles at police.

Other EDL supporters threw bottles, cans and stones over the barricade towards their UAF opponents gathered opposite Urban Gardens, shortly after 1400 BST.

A smoke bomb was also thrown over the temporary 8ft-high wall separating the two groups, landing on the ground and exploding by uniformed police officers.

Police estimated the number of EDL supporters involved in the protest was less than the 1,000 that the group claimed.

Police forced EDL members away from the city centre barricade

For public safety, mounted police pushed people away from Urban Gardens down Market Street, while other officers forced EDL members away from the barricade into the centre of the gardens.

The EDL supporters met in Halifax before travelling to Bradford on buses under police escort for the "static" demonstration.

Earlier this month, Home Secretary Theresa May authorised a blanket ban on marches in Bradford, but this did not prevent static demonstrations.

The EDL's Bradford rally was smaller than one held in neighbouring Leeds last October, which attracted about 900 supporters and 1,500 UAF opponents.

In a joint statement, Ch Supt Alison Rose and Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood said: "Although there has been some disruption to the city centre, we are returning to normality and people of Bradford are now able to continue their lives."

It added: "The mood of the city in general has been one of calm and local people have co-operated and supported the police by behaving sensibly or staying away."