Attack was filmed and shared online prompting Elon Musk and others to call for anti-immigration protests

Politicians from across the spectrum have called for calm after a knife attack in Belfast prompted widespread shock and condemnation.

There are fears there could be disorder after figures on social media, including Elon Musk, called for people to fill the streets in protest against immigration. The alleged perpetrator of the attack, which was filmed and shared widely online, was revealed today as an asylum seeker from Sudan.

Crowds, including people in masks and hoods, burned vehicles and properties after calls for demonstrations from far-right figures

• Anti-immigration protesters in Belfast set bus on fire amid unrest over knife attack – live

Protests against immigration have erupted into violence in Northern Ireland after far-right activists called for demonstrations in response to a stabbing attack that was captured in a graphic video.

Crowds including masked men burned vehicles and houses and blocked roads in and around Belfast on Tuesday night, hours after Elon Musk, Tommy Robinson and other agitators exhorted people to take to the streets.