Friends of an Iranian asylum seeker stabbed to death in what police called a "racially motivated" killing have staged a march and vigil in his memory.

Tayman Bahmani, 28, died in hospital after two groups of men, one white and the other Iranian, clashed in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, on Wednesday afternoon.

Three men and a woman have been arrested and are being interviewed by police about the death.

Twenty members of the Iranian community marched on Sunderland Police Station in protest on Thursday.

White people attacked my friends with knives before and they have thrown stones through our windows

Victim's friend

On Friday they were joined by fellow asylum seekers and held another vigil.

They also placed flowers at the scene of the stabbing, in Peel Street, Hendon.

Another Iranian asylum-seeker, a 30-year-old man who gave his name only as Babak, said the stabbing was the latest in a line of attacks on a frightened community.

"We need answers from the authorities. We need someone to say 'we will protect you'. At the moment nobody can say that," he said.

We are meeting with community leaders to discuss this issue

Police spokesman

He said racial tension had been growing in the community in recent weeks, and claimed he and fellow asylum seekers had called police more than 20 times after being racially harassed.

"Sometimes [the police] come round, sometimes they don't," Babak said.

"Most of the time they tried to convince us to ignore people who attack us.

"White people attacked my friends with knives before and they have thrown stones through our windows.

"They finally changed our glass [windows] to plastic to stop it breaking.

'Earlier confrontations'

"They threatened my friend who lived in the same house as my dead friend that they would kill them if they kept reporting these things to the police."

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "We are meeting with community leaders to discuss this issue."

Superintendent Paul Weir, area commander for Sunderland city police, said: "We have a dedicated policing team working in the Hendon area dealing positively with any racist incidents.

It is very important that people who witnessed anything should get in touch with us

Detective Superintendent Steve Bolam

"We would appeal for people in the area to remain calm to allow police to investigate this incident without any distraction.

"We fully intend to keep community leaders informed of the progress of our investigation and will be inviting them to sit down and talk with us."

Detective Superintendent Steve Bolam, leading the investigation, said: "We have now spoken to the dead man's friends and are dealing with this as a racist incident.

"We believe there may have been earlier confrontations in the area before the actual stabbing so it is very important that people who witnessed anything should get in touch with us."