Rioters peppered taxis carrying Filipino nurses with rocks as they headed to provide emergency cover in an NHS hospital.
The workers have spoken out about the “terror” they experienced during outbreaks of violence in Sunderland, where two vehicles were the target of rioters.
A source told the Mirror: “They were in two different taxis and had been called in because of the trouble as emergency cover.
“They managed to get through but they were obviously fearful about what might happen to them.”
Northumbria Police said eight people were arrested and three police officers were taken to hospital following the disorder in the north east on Friday night.
Hundreds of people gathered in Keel Square, many of them draped in England flags, on Friday evening.
Members of the crowd chanted in support of Tommy Robinson, while others shouted insults about Islam.
Mounted police followed the march, along with officers in vans who battled their way through traffic to keep up.
However, some protesters descended into violence, setting an overturned car on fire, while others targeted a mosque.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show a fire at a city centre police office, which was marked permanently closed on Google Maps and was no longer listed on a police station finder on Northumbria Police’s website.
Police in protective gear came under sustained attack as rioters set off fire extinguishers on them on High West Street.
There was also a standoff between police and protesters outside a mosque on Sunderland’s St Mark’s Road.
Police in riot gear came under attack with stones and beer cans thrown.
In a social media post, Sunderland AFC said the shameful scenes “do not represent our culture, our history, or our people”.
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