Northern Ireland: Anti-immigrant riots erupt in Belfast after stabbing
Protesters set buildings and vehicles alight and blocked roads on Tuesday evening. The suspect in the knife attack, a Sudanese refugee, was due to appear
Protesters set buildings and vehicles alight and blocked roads on Tuesday evening. The suspect in the knife attack, a Sudanese refugee, was due to appear in court in Northern Ireland on Wednesday. Violence erupted on Tuesday night in the Northern Irish city of Belfast as anti-immigrant demonstrators rioted in the city after a knife attack allegedly carried out by a Sudanese man. The suspect, a 30-year-old refugee, is set to appear in a Belfast court on Wednesday to face charges of attempted murder, possession of a bladed article in public and threats to kill. What happened during the riots in Belfast last night? Men wearing masks set fire to houses and forced families out of their homes as a wave of violence spread across the city on Tuesday night, Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill said. In a statement, O'Neill said, "Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice." The BBC reported that men were heard shouting "foreigners out" during the riots.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned the violence, calling it "shocking and unacceptable." "There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere," Starmer said in a statement posted on X. "It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it. Those responsible will feel the full force of the law," he added. Police on Tuesday had urged the public not to resort to violence, after calls from far-right figures for anti-immigration protests. Tech billionaire Elon Musk retweeted a post calling for nationwide anti-migration demonstrations by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — better known as Tommy Robinson. "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!," Musk added. Demonstrators also blocked roads in Belfast on Tuesday Image: PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance What sparked the wave of violence in Belfast?
Anger has been spreading in Northern Ireland and the wider United Kingdom after a video showing the attack on Monday went viral. A man in his 40s was left with serious wounds to his neck and head. The suspect arrived in the UK in 2023 and has a residence permit valid until 2028, Northern Ireland police chief Jon Boutcher said, adding that the suspect "was not known" to police. Belfast's Lendrick Street saw some of the worst damage during Tuesday's violence Image: PA/PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance In a joint statement, the leaders of Northern Ireland's five largest political parties decried the knife attack, saying "there is no place in our society for this kind of brutality." The stabbing, which Starmer had called "horrific" and "sickening," came after violent street protests in Southampton, southern England, amid anger over how police handled the murder of a young, white student who was fatally stabbed by a British Sikh man who had falsely alleged he had been racially abused.
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