Nearly 1,000 demonstrators were involved in disorder after a protest at one of England's most famous seaside resorts.
Bottles were thrown at police as officers struggled to contain the protesters, who were mainly from far-right groups, in Blackpool.
Some protesters made racist gestures and were heard shouting racist insults as they were held back by police dogs and horses.
Several people have been arrested in connection with the riots.
Initially, the protesters gathered at Blackpool's monument, but then spilled out into the streets of the city, forcing police to close off a large part of the city centre in the early evening.
The protest coincided with the resort's annual Rebellion punk festival, and some attendees organized a counter-protest.
A tense confrontation broke out between the two groups, with chairs, bottles and wooden planks being thrown.
Outside St John's Church a man fell to the ground and required medical attention. A number of glass bottles were smashed against the church walls.
After the fighting was over, a second outbreak broke out in which about 40 protesters were surrounded by police. Several of them were arrested.
Lancashire Police said there had also been protests in Preston and Blackburn, with dispersal orders in place in all three areas.
Police said “more than 20” arrests have been made across the country in connection with the protests. People are being held on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, police brutality, possession of a stabbing weapon, obstructing police, conspiracy to commit violent disorder and failure to comply with a dispersal order.
A representative added that no officers were injured in the operation.
“In Blackpool we have witnessed a number of random assaults by individuals who we suspect are from outside the area and who want to cause problems in our communities,” he said.
“We have also seen minor tensions elsewhere in the region, but thanks to robust cooperation based on our police plan, we were able to address this quickly.
“I want to thank the good people in our communities for their support.”
In a statement about X, Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South, said he was “angry at the senseless violence and disorder on the streets of my home town”.
“Those responsible are harming residents and endangering their livelihoods,” he said.
Blackpool was one of the towns in England where unrest prevailed.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she would work with police to ensure those responsible faced “consequences, arrests and prosecutions”, warning that anyone causing “unacceptable disorder” would pay the price.
The protests came after three young girls were fatally stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on Monday.
The following evening, violence broke out in the seaside resort of Merseyside, with police blaming far-right groups.
False claims have been circulated online that the person responsible is an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat and is a Muslim.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire, has been charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a curved kitchen knife.
The 17-year-old, who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and moved to the Southport area in 2013, has no known ties to Islam.
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