Newcastle’s unity demonstration should give rioters pause for thought if they plan to target the north-east this weekend, the region’s mayor says.

Proud Geordies in the city’s West End were praised for a remarkable show of solidarity on Wednesday night when more than 3,000 people gathered on Westgate Road to protest against the violence and unrest of the past week.

A potential far-right protest at The Beacon failed to materialise as peaceful anti-racism protests made headlines across the country, but police here continue to prepare for a demonstration expected in Newcastle city centre on Saturday.

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North East Mayor Kim McGuinness told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she hoped Wednesday’s events, which followed a day of concern about potential unrest, would give residents and businesses more confidence in their safety – and encourage any troublemakers to stay away.

She said: “I hope that people who are considering behaving in such a horrific and violent way on our streets see what happened last night and think, ‘No, I’m not going to do that.’

“I hope they have seen the strong response from police and law enforcement over the past week and will take a step back and think again about whatever it was that initially led them to think it was a good idea.

“I hope the far-right extremists stay far away on Saturday. But if they come, I am in constant contact with the police and the government and I am confident that there will be really good policing there to keep people safe – and to really keep Newcastle and our wider region open.”

Since the attack in Southport last week in which three young girls were stabbed to death, there have been violent incidents on the streets of Sunderland, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and elsewhere in the country.

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Ms McGuinness added: “These rioters, these criminals who have organised online on a national level to disrupt our region, they want people to be afraid. They have targeted people because of the colour of their skin, people because they are Muslim.”

“I spoke to a taxi driver who was afraid to go to work and had not been paid all weekend because he was afraid of being attacked. A woman in Sunderland, a Muslim lawyer who wears a headscarf, was terrified of taking the tube to work.

“We cannot allow this to happen and I really hope that this show of solidarity gives people confidence, along with the strong and visible police presence and community reassurance that has taken place this week.”

“I was delighted to receive a message from a Muslim woman who has lived here for 20 years who told me that last night, ironically, she felt more welcome than ever before.”

Newcastle United have confirmed that their men’s and women’s pre-season games are expected to take place at St. James’ Park on Saturday afternoon.

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The club said it would “continue to work closely with its independent security advisory group and key stakeholders, including Northumbria Police and local authorities, to ensure we are fully prepared to welcome fans to the stadium”.

A performance of Come From Away at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal on Wednesday was cancelled, while some shops and pubs closed early for fear of unrest.

The theater announced Thursday that all remaining performances will currently take place as planned.

A statement on social media said: “We regret that yesterday’s performance of Come From Away has been cancelled at short notice. This decision has not been taken lightly, but the safety of our audience, staff and guests is our top priority.”

“Come From Away is a show about coming together as a community and spreading kindness, so we were heartened to see that this sentiment was shared across all communities in Newcastle last night. Currently, all remaining performances of Come From Away are going ahead as planned, and we look forward to welcoming audiences today.”

However, some food stalls in the city centre were boarded up due to possible unrest over the weekend.

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Susan Dungworth, Northumbria’s police and crime commissioner, said the region “may not be out of the woods yet” but expressed hope that Wednesday’s peaceful rally was a “powerful step towards putting scenes of unacceptable violence and damaging division behind us”.

Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central and West, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Last night the people of Newcastle came together to send a message of hope and to show what we stand for – looking out for each other, standing up to bullies, united against bigotry.”

“I hope that the tiny minority who want to spread violence and unrest understand this message and know what it means – that they will not succeed here.”