Tomorrow is a momentous day for Bradford. The phrase “the eyes of the world are on you” is over-used but in this case it is largely true.

Plans by the self-styled English Defence League to hold a protest – and by Unite Against Fascism to stage a counter-demonstration – in the centre of a city with a troubled past have drawn the attention of media from as far away as Canada and Japan.

They will be here for one reason only: just in case there is a repeat of the appalling violence and destruction which rocked Bradford and severely damaged our reputation nationally and internationally as a successful multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-faith city.

Those of us who lived through the disturbances of 2001 know that they were not a true reflection of this district and its people.

Events simply got out of hand: false rumours, minor grievances blown out of proportion, youthful hot-headedness, blatant criminality and even a simple lack of respect for the rule of law all contributed to scenes which no right-thinking person would ever wish to see again.

This time there can be no such excuses.

Bradford has moved on. There has been phenomenal effort at both grassroots and official level to help improve understanding between people of all ages, backgrounds and creeds.

It would be wrong to say that Bradford is a city entirely at peace with itself. Even if there was a city in the world where only one race of people with one culture and one religion lived to the exclusion of all others, it could never make that claim.

That is human nature. People will always disagree with each other and the fact that we are able to disagree and still get on is what makes humanity special.

In Bradford, some people keep themselves to themselves, some choose to exist only within their own communities, some go out of their way to help and understand others unlike themselves, others are completely blind to race, religion and skin colour.

Our city has a fantastically diverse population. It is not a melting pot: no-one wants all the colours and shades of life here to merge into one lifeless grey mass. Perhaps it is more like a stew, where all the different ingredients retain their distinctive taste and character but work together to create a harmonious whole.

Whatever the metaphor, it works. It can be a bit rough at times and not everyone is happy all of the time but it works.

That is what divisive groups like the EDL simply cannot understand. In their blinkered determination to spread their message of fear and hate, they find it deeply frustrating that cities like Bradford can find ways for its multitude of different communities to co-exist peacefully.

Ostensibly, they claim to be opposed only to radical Islam and the extremists who would bring terror to our shores – something they share with the vast majority of Bradfordians including the many Muslims who were born here or have made this city their home.

But their message and the way they spread it does not differentiate and it besmirches the good people of all Asian backgrounds who just want to go about their lives like the rest of us without hurt or trouble.

By coming to Bradford, the EDL want to provoke a reaction. They want affronted Muslims to take them on so they can point the finger at the “real troublemakers.”

By staging a counter-protest, the UAF risks acting as a catalyst for those who would prefer to settle their differences with violence. In almost every city where these protests and counter-protests have taken place in the last 12 months there have been arrests on both sides for violence and disorder.

The UAF also have a basic message which most people would sign up to: who would not oppose fascism?

But there are elements associated with them and their protests who would use the UAF as a springboard for anarchic attacks on police, law and order and capitalism as well.

Wrapping their protest under the We Are Bradford banner is not helpful.

Like the EDL, they plan to bus in supporters from dozens of centres across the country which means that the vast majority of people taking part will patently not be from Bradford. “We have nothing to do with Bradford” might be more appropriate.

The fact is, wherever both groups go, they attract unpleasant elements and with them the risk of violence.

The police will do everything in their power to ensure minimum disruption to the city and its Bank Holiday weekend and community and civic leaders throughout the district are calling for local people to see this event for what it is – a bunch of outsiders coming to Bradford to stir up trouble – and to stay away.

Tomorrow Bradford can show the world how little these people know about Bradford and about decency and respect for others and their beliefs and cultures.

The best thing we citizens can do is leave the EDL and the UAF to it. Leave them to let off steam, shout their slogans, exercise their freedom of speech and have the say they are entitled to in a democratic society.

However unpleasant the EDL's words may be, their message will only have an impact if it is listened to.

So Bradford can do itself – and this country – a big favour by turning a deaf ear.

And if we all do that, we can make tomorrow a day that Bradford can be proud of forever.