Anti-migrant riots broke out last night in Belfast , where dozens of protesters set fire to rubbish bins, vehicles and a bus in the city centre, blocking several streets, following the brutal stabbing of a forty-year-old man believed to be a Sudanese refugee, captured on shocking video that went viral on media and social media.
Some residents were evacuated from a building in the city center, which caught fire during protests, during which Molotov cocktails were also thrown.
The Northern Ireland Police (PSNI) intervened in force to stop the violent protests fueled by appeals spread online by groups of so-called "patriots" linked to the far right: a post by the extremist Tommy Robinson was reposted on X by Elon Musk, complete with a message to inflame tensions: "Only by protesting repeatedly and loudly can there be change!".
The trigger was the attempted murder charge against the 30-year-old attacker, who had been granted asylum under the previous Conservative government after arriving in Belfast via Dublin in February 2023.
The appeals for calm launched by Keir Starmer's Labour government and local authorities have thus proved futile. The victim was seriously injured, with significant facial, neck, and back injuries, in the attack that took place last night in the Kinnaird Avenue area of north Belfast.
Footage circulating online shows the attacker pinning the 40-year-old to the ground and stabbing him repeatedly with a knife, in what the Daily Telegraph described as an apparent beheading attempt , before passers-by intervened to stop him.
One of them is seen brandishing a hurling stick, the traditional Irish sport. Police have stated that there is no indication of a terrorist attack, while speculation has gained traction that the thirty-year-old may have been in a fit of rage. He is now due to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court.
Prime Minister Starmer addressed the incident, calling it and calling for zero tolerance for such violent incidents on the streets of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Minister Hilary Benn called in the House of Commons for violent protests to be avoided to avoid further negative repercussions on local communities.
