NEWPORT MP Paul Flynn is denouncing Newport City councillor Peter Davies for allegedly costing the taxpayer £100,000.

That, says Mr Flynn, is the approximate cost of policing the peaceful anti-racist demonstration in Newport centre on Saturday by groups and individuals.

Mr Flynn believes that Mr Davies, a Tory councillor, caused anti-Islamic feeling and gave the so-called Welsh Defence League an excuse to plan a march in the city through his comments on the conversion of a church into a mosque. Mr Davies says Mr Flynn's claims are balderdash - the WDL march was cancelled earlier in the week.

It is not unusual for Mr Flynn to lambast Mr Davies, or vice versa - they are about as far apart idealogically as mainstream politicians can be.

But the spending of £100,000 of public money is a subject worthy of public concern.

The police are stuck in the middle, of course, and have to make provision for trouble, even if there is little likelihood of it occurring. And those who took part in the anti-racist demonstration believed they had to show that Newport is unwilling to yield ground to anyone who would disrupt the racial harmony of the city.

Although we regret the cost of this demonstration, we understand that those who turned out did so to give witness to the ideal that racism is evil and cannot be tolerated. We support that ideal but hope that a repeat of such an exercise will not be necessary for the forseeable future.