The West Midlands Police Commissioner has called for calm ahead of Saturday’s English Defence League protest in Birmingham.
Labour commissioner David Jamieson condemned the divisive ideology of the far-right group.
He said: “Every day in the West Midlands, we are fortunate to celebrate our vibrant and thriving community.
“We all appreciate the shared values of respect for each other’s humanity and the desire for us all to continue to live in harmony.
“We are one race, the human race.
“It is our different faiths and cultures that enrich us, broaden our vision and understanding of humankind and make our city a very special place to be.
“We respect each other’s values and protect each other’s rights to worship in our own way.
“We hope those who take part in the rally will recognise it is the diversity in Birmingham that makes us strong, makes us united, makes us one people.
“We respect the right of everybody to peacefully demonstrate and hope that anybody who comes to this great city respects that right too.
“And on behalf of police officers, who have to do a difficult job to do, we ask those who wish to protest against the rally to do so in a peaceful and lawful manner.”
The EDL said it was coming to Birmingham to “maintain the pressure on government, officials, police and the Muslim community to deal with the abuse of English girls by Muslim men”.
It also highlighted issues such as the Trojan Horse scandal and Muslim-only cemetaries.
But a group of MPs, councillors, trade unionists and community leaders have backed a rival anti-fascist protest in Victoria Square on Saturday.
They accused the EDL of using the Rotherham child abuse affair to “further its own selfish ends”.
A statement from the groups said: “We condemn the decision by the English Defence League to come to Birmingham on Saturday.
“We believe it is a cynical attempt by the EDL to use the appalling crime of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham to further its own selfish ends.
“We support and seek justice for all victims of sexual exploitation regardless of their social or ethnic background.
“We condemn and seek prosecution of all those responsible for these crimes irrespective of their ethnicity or creed.
“We reject the attempt by the EDL to whip up racism and division in our city by trying to turn communities against each other without a care for the damage it leaves in its wake.”
Among those signing the statement were Erdington MP Jack Dromey, Hall Green MP Roger Godsiff and general secretary of the Unison union Dave Prentis.