Eight people were arrested in Sunderland on charges including rioting and theft after rioting and disorder continued across the UK.
Northumbria Police said three officers were injured and taken to hospital.
At least one building was reported to have been set on fire and one car overturned and burst into flames as police struggled to control hundreds of protesters.
Protesters, some wearing balaclavas or draped with English flags, pelted police with beer cans and stones in the city centre and at a mosque off St Mark’s Street.
Nick Laws, from Hope Not Hate, who posted on social media about the burning building, said: “This is how far right and racist protests have ended. Shame on those who continue to tolerate these protests.”
It was initially reported that the police building had been set on fire, but later reports suggested that an adjacent building had been set on fire instead.
The overturned car was set on fire and rioters fired fire extinguishers at police.
The protest, promoted on social media by far-right activists, began at the newly renovated Kiel Square, where footage posted on social media showed young people hurling stones at police, shouting “Whose city is this? It’s our city” and yelling Islamophobic slogans.
The protest in Sunderland was one of a number planned across the UK this weekend following Monday’s knife attack in Southport, which was sparked by misinformation on social media about the background and religion of the 17-year-old suspect.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Criminals who attack police and sow chaos on our streets will pay a price for their violence and brutality.”
“Police have the full support of the government to take the strongest possible action and ensure they face the full force of the law.”
“They do not represent Britain.”
Additional prosecutors were called in over the weekend as police around the country braced for further unrest.
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said: “We take the recent incidents of violent disorder extremely seriously and stand ready to respond swiftly if any further incidents occur.”
“We are deploying dozens of additional prosecutors this weekend to assist police and are working around the clock and prepared to make immediate charging decisions to ensure swift justice is delivered.”
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness wrote to X: “I am appalled by the scenes in Sunderland. Make no mistake – if your reaction to a tragedy is to become violent, abuse others, attack police and destroy property, that is nothing but violence. That is not a protest.”
“This is crime and disorder. You do not represent Sunderland. You do not represent this area. This will bring no solace to those grieving in Southport.”
“We believe that now is the time for the Southport community, and the entire country, to come together and stand up against hatred based on people’s identity. In particular, we must not allow rising Islamophobia to take hold in our society.”
Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson said he was “appalled” by the chaos in the city centre.
He wrote to X: “Our city is not represented by a trouble-making minority.
“(Northumbria Police) are working to tackle violent crime and protect all communities across the city and I support them fully.”
“Tomorrow, the people of Sunderland will come together to continue building our brighter future – a future where every community in our city feels safe and thriving.”
Nexus, which runs the Tyne and Wear Metro, said it had been asked by police to close Sunderland rail station at around 10.15pm, while bus company Go North East said all services before Sunderland would be suspended overnight except for one which terminates in Barnes.
The city’s cinema, Omniplex Sunderland, was also forced to close. “For the safety of the public and our staff.”
Education Secretary and Sunderland MP Bridget Phillipson described the unrest in the city as “unacceptable violence and assault”.
She said: “The scenes that took place in our city centre this evening are shocking. We have witnessed unacceptable violence and heinous acts.”
“The criminals involved in this horrific mayhem must be identified, prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Sunderland is a better city than this and these thugs do not represent our city.”
In Liverpool, far-right protesters were outnumbered by anti-fascist groups several times to one: a minor scuffle in the early evening was quickly broken up by police, and by 9pm only a few far-right protesters remained, sheltering from the rain under a tree across the road from the Abdullah Quilliam Society mosque.
A group of men standing opposite the anti-fascists were less confident in identifying themselves as far-right, telling the Guardian they were wearing balaclavas and “just came to have a look”.
Hope Not Hate said up to 35 protests were planned across the UK this weekend “with a broad anti-multicultural, anti-Islam and anti-government agenda”.
These include Blackburn, Blackpool, Bolton, Bristol, Cardiff, Doncaster, Glasgow, Hanley, High Wycombe, Hull, Liverpool, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Preston, St Helens, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon and Wrexham.
