Protesters denounced the anti-immigrant violence witnessed earlier in the week, which was sparked by an alleged knife attack carried out by a Sudanese refugee.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the Northern Irish capital, Belfast, on Saturday for an anti-racism rally.
An estimated 3,000 people turned out to condemn the unrest that occurred earlier in the week in various parts of the city.
The riots on Tuesday and Wednesday followed the viral spread of a video showing a knife attack. The suspect in the stabbing, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, has been charged with attempted murder.
Demonstrators speak out against right-wing, racist violence
Protesters assembled outside Belfast City Hall, holding signs that denounced the violence, during which masked groups set homes on fire, torched vehicles, and pelted police with bottles, bricks, and Molotov cocktails.
Some in the crowd carried placards bearing messages such as "Hate is the only threat to our streets" and "Belfast stands against racism."
"All it takes is for one person who's not white and local to commit a crime and that fire of racism is rekindled," Elaine Crory, a lobbyist from the Women's Resource and Development agency, told the gathering.
Belfast's mayor, Rois-Maire Donnelly, told protesters that a small minority could not be permitted to "spread fear... and hatred."
Donnelly also stated that she had received death threats this week.
Immigration has become a contentious issue in the UK and has contributed to the rise of the far-right Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage.
Violent protests erupt over Belfast stabbing
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While the atmosphere in Belfast remained peaceful, in Glasgow, Scotland, an anti-racism march was confronted by a small group of men, with reports that some performed Nazi-style salutes.
The anti-racism group responded by chanting, "Nazi scum off our streets."
Glasgow police reported that the anti-racism protest concluded "without major incident" and noted that a "significant operation was in place to ensure the safety of the public."
What triggered the violence in Belfast and elsewhere in the UK?
A video of the knife attack, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as "sickening," went viral, igniting a wave of anger across Northern Ireland and the UK.
The footage showed a man repeatedly slashing and stabbing another man, who was lying on the ground, in the neck and head.
The victim of the attack, a 44-year-old man, sustained serious injuries and remains hospitalized.
The suspect, originally from Sudan, appeared in court on Wednesday and has been charged with attempted murder.
The incident in Northern Ireland followed violent protests in Southampton, England, where anger erupted over police handling of a case involving a young, white student who was murdered by a British Sikh man.
Bodycam footage showed police officers handcuffing the fatally wounded student as his attacker alleged he had been racially abused.
The judge overseeing the murder trial dismissed the attacker's racism allegations and imposed a life sentence for murder.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
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