Saturday's anti-fascist march in Brighton was held on the same day that a Great Skinhead Reunion also took place on the seafront.
The protest was initially organised to oppose an anti-immigration march that failed to materialise.
Police arrested 14 anti-fascists after an attack on three bald men.
Ch Supt Nev Kemp said some anti-fascists were "intent on violence".
He said the planned anti-immigration protest did not take place because protesters went to an event in Bristol instead.
"My understanding is that most of the protesters that said they might be coming to Brighton actually went up to Bristol, so they didn't appear," he said.
But he said the anti-fascist counter-protest did go ahead and he added: "There were a significant number who took part who were intent on violence and criminality."
The 14 anti-fascist campaigners - arrested on suspicion of violent disorder - were held after masked protesters were seen attacking three bald men, he said.
Sussex Police said 10 men and four women - most from Brighton, but two of no fixed address - had been bailed to dates in July pending further inquiries.
Mr Kemp said: "There were a number of people in the protest who showed they were actually - ironically, bearing in mind the protest is about tolerance - some of the most intolerant people you could come across.
"They were determined to cause damage and attack anybody really, any man with a bald head who looked like he might be from the right-wing."
Siriol Hugh-Jones, who took part in the protest, said: "Where I was there was very little sign of violence."
She added: "It was much more a carnival atmosphere.
"We were trying to be nice and fluffy and show how tolerant Brighton and Hove is and what a liberal society it is and celebrating that."
She said she marched behind some of the masked men but didn't know who they were.

Data shows that the total tuition fee and maintenance loan balance is up 12% on the previous year's figures.
Graduates start repaying their debt once their income reaches £21,000 but after 30 years outstanding debt is written off.
For those repaying loans in 2017 the average sum owed at the start of repayment was £19,280.
That compares with £32,220 for English students, £20,990 for Northern Irish students and £11,740 for Scottish students who do not pay fees if they study in Scotland.
The figures come from the Student Loans Company and cover 2016/17.
Welsh domiciled students have been able to claim a grant towards their tuition fees since 2012-13 - a sum of £4,954 in 2017-18.
But the grants are due to be scrapped from 2018-19 with help for maintenance costs introduced instead, under plans unveiled last year.
At the end of 2016-17 there were 304,900 borrowers of higher education student loans in Wales, with 191,100 liable for repayment.
As of the end of April 2017 there are 41,430 borrowers who had fully repaid, amounting to 16.4% of the overall total.
The data covers Welsh domiciled students studying in higher education in the UK and EU students studying in Wales.
A police chief has accused anti-fascist protesters of turning up at a demo prepared to attack "any bald men who looked right-wing".
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The overall student loan debt for Welsh students has reached £3.7bn, new figures show.