Belfast anti-immigration protesters set vehicles and buildings on fire on Tuesday night, a day after a knife attack allegedly carried out by a Sudanese refugee seriously injured a man and was captured in a graphic video that spread widely online.
Issued on: 10/06/2026 - RFI
Hundreds of protesters, many wearing masks, gathered in several parts of the Northern Ireland capital. A bus and several cars were set alight, roads were blocked and a building near the city centre caught fire, forcing residents to evacuate.
Police helicopters flew overhead as officers responded to unrest across the city. Crowds also gathered in Antrim, about 25 kilometres west of Belfast.
"By 7:30pm they started a fire in the bins... we heard police cars and sirens," said Eemran, an engineer of Indian origin who has lived in Belfast for just over a year.
"More and more people started coming, they started throwing petrol bombs. Suddenly the fire started going... we had smoke inside the building... fire people came in and they said 'go down'."
The unrest was described as frightening by a 36-year-old Chilean woman who moved to Belfast a month ago.
"Of course I'm not used to it," said Camila. "I understand the people's rage but also there are ways of discussing these things more peacefully."
Political reaction
The violence was condemned by Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill, who appealed for calm.
"Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice," she wrote on X.
The stabbing was condemned by Northern Ireland's five main political parties.
"There is no place in our society for this kind of brutality," the parties said in a joint statement.
The attack was "horrific" and "sickening", Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X.
Suspect charged
A 30-year-old man was charged late on Tuesday with attempted murder, possession of a bladed weapon in a public place and making threats to kill. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday.
He is a Sudanese refugee with a residence permit valid until 2028, the UK interior ministry confirmed.
The man arrived in the UK in 2023 via Paris and Dublin, Northern Ireland police chief Jon Boutcher said.
The victim, a man in his 40s, suffered significant injuries to his eyes and serious slash wounds to his back and face, police said.
"We're just living in fear now," a 31-year-old mother who lives nearby told the French news agency AFP.
Spreading tensions
Tensions were already high after violent skirmishes last week in Southampton, southern England, over the police handling of the murder of a young white student stabbed to death by a British Sikh man.
Dozens of demonstrators also gathered there on Tuesday outside a hotel housing asylum seekers, carrying banners reading "no racism, just patriotism" and "enough is enough".
"Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!" US tech billionaire Elon Musk wrote while reposting a message from anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
Immigration has become a major political issue in Britain and has helped fuel the rise of the hard-right Reform UK party in the polls.
(with newswires)
Police officers injured in Belfast and Glasgow anti-immigration protest
Violence broke out after police charged a 30-year-old Sudanese man with attempted murder in relation to a knife attack in Belfast.
Two officers were injured as police battled violent anti-immigration protests in Belfast on Tuesday following a stabbing in the city.
Vehicles and buildings were set alight as hundreds of people took to the streets in response to the attack, graphic footage of which has been circulating online.
The video shows a man straddling another man in the middle of a street as he slashes at his head and neck with a knife before a group intervenes.
Northern Ireland police charged a 30-year-old Sudanese man with attempted murder in relation to the incident, which occurred in the Kinnaird Avenue area of north Belfast on Monday evening.
The suspect was reportedly named in court on Wednesday as Hadi Alodid. He has been remanded in custody.
The victim, Stephen Ogilvy, was taken to hospital with "serious injuries to his eyes and slash-wound injuries to his back and face," police said.
Protests also broke out across Scotland on Tuesday night, with demonstrators marching through Glasgow, Edinburgh and Ayr.
Police said two officers and three members of the public were left with injuries following a demonstration in Glasgow. Three men, aged 31, 18 and 18 were also arrested and charged in the city.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said his thoughts were with Ogilvy but also hit out at the disorder in Belfast.
"Nothing, nothing can justify the violence that we saw on the streets of Northern Ireland last night, with masked thugs trying to burn and intimidate people out of their homes," he said.
Jon Boutcher, the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, described the violence as an "act of self-harm by the people involved" and urged locals to allow the criminal justice process to take shape.
"This has got to stop," he said of the disorder.
For his part, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the knife attack as "sickening" but said it was "clear" that people had been targeted in the protests due to their background.
"I will not tolerate it. Those responsible will feel the full force of the law," he wrote on X.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney called the scenes on Tuesday night in Scotland "unacceptable," saying "racism, hatred and intimidation have no place" in the country.
"Scotland is a welcoming nation and those who choose to make their lives here are valued members of our communities," he added.
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