Former Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Geoff Reid (Lib Dem, Eccleshill) made the claim during a discussion on the Ukraine war at a meeting of Bradford Council on Tuesday.

A rare cross-party motion - supported by all Councillors across the District, called for Bradford to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine, support Bradford's Ukrainian population, which numbers over 5,000, and welcome any Ukrainians displaced by the war.

One of the signs at a recent Ukraine Rally in Bradford

Councillor Abdul Jabar, Executive for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, said: "We are here to show solidarity with the Ukranian people who, through no fault of their own, have been cast into a war.

"We are setting out our commitment to provide practical support - it is the right and proper thing to do. Bradford has a long track record of being a humanitarian city and a city of sanctuary."

The T&A has today joined forces with other Newsquest news titles from across the UK to launch a fundraising campaign and to pledge a portion of the sale of today's newspaper to help the humanitarian effort in Ukraine.

Councillor Rebecca Poulsen, leader of the Conservative Group, said the Council would play a vital role in supporting any refugees from Ukraine that arrived in Bradford, including helping them get the services they need to rebuild their lives.

She said: "This is a watershed moment in our history, and we will have to think about future defence of our country.

"Some in this chamber have campaigned for the UK to give up its nuclear deterrent. This war has shown that dictators only respect strength. Freedom isn't free, it has to be defended."

Cllr Reid said: "There is no way we could go through this Council meeting without giving a perspective on these tragic events.

"We have a substantial Ukranian community in Bradford and a substantial Polish community. One country is seeing its sovereignty ripped to shreds and the other is finding itself at the front line of the human misery of people fleeing their homes."

Referring to the fact that many Ukrainian refugees may find themselves in Bradford, he said: "As a District welcoming strangers is rooted in our history and baked into our DNA."

Councillor Geoff Winnard (Cons, Bingley) pointed out that despite Russia clearly being the aggressor in the conflict, there were still "Putin fans" who were pushing pro-Russian propaganda about the war online. He said: "I suggest the Council's communications department may well have a role to play in countering or neutralising such misinformation to stop it spreading locally."

He added: "Our quarrel is with Putin rather than the Russian people or any Russians in our district, who themselves may be refugees from Communism."

Councillor Robert Hargreaves (Queensbury, Independent) described the scenes coming from Ukraine as "frightening" and led a round of applause for the Ukrainian people.

The motion was unanimously approved.