A British city centre was thrown into chaos yesterday as a far-right group and anti-fascist protestors faced off amid tense scenes.

But fears of widespread violence in Leeds thankfully proved unfounded after a huge police presence kept the rival demonstrators apart.

Around 1,500 anti-fascism protesters had gathered in the Yorkshire city yesterday afternoon to demonstrate against a protest by activists from the English Defence League.

The far-right group numbered several hundred but were kept apart from their rivals by a large police operation supported by a dog section and mounted officers.

A police helicopter hovered above the city throughout the day.

There were minor flashpoints as the respective groups tried to break out from their restricted areas and confront each other.

At one point a missile was thrown and spitting took place as supporters from each group managed to get within a relatively short distance of each other in the city centre.

However, police quickly regained control as early Christmas shoppers looked on.

Activists from Unite Against Fascism started their protest at midday outside the city's art gallery.

Protesters shouted slogans and carried placards and banners denouncing fascism.

Police officers linked arms and moved the protesters into a cordoned off area.

Several streets in the city were closed to traffic as both demonstrations took place.

In nearby City Square protesters from the English Defence League gathered at 1pm amid a large police escort.

Activists sang football-hooligan songs and 'God Save The Queen' in the Square which was cordoned off by barriers and police officers.

There were chaotic scenes towards the end of the afternoon as the meetings broke up with demonstrators breaking out and mixing with members of the public around the city's railway station.

The English Defence League held a series of demonstrations around Britain against British Islamic extremists.

In London,, about a dozen protestors gathered in Piccadilly Circus, holding placards which read: "Islam will not dominate", "Free speech will dominate the world", and "March for England".

Bill Baker who is standing as an MP for the English Democrats said he was joined by moderate Muslins in yesterday's demonstration.

He said: "We're here to protest against fascism of any kind, left or right-wing extremism."

The protests come as fears mount that the far-right British National Party is experiencing a growth in support, following the appearance of its leader, Nick Griffin, on the BBC television programme Question Time.

Griffin's performance on the show itself was regarded as shoddy, but the party
has reported that it has received an unprecedented number of enquiries about membership in the last 10 days.