Anti-immigration protesters have set vehicles and buildings alight across Belfast, in a night of unrest triggered by a street stabbing allegedly carried out by a Sudanese refugee.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at several locations on the evening of June 9, according to police and reporters at the scene. A bus and several cars were torched, while a building near the city centre caught fire and its residents had to be evacuated.
Residents told the AFP news agency that protesters set rubbish bins alight before throwing petrol bombs. Crowds also gathered in Antrim, about 25 kilometres west of the city.
The disorder followed a knife attack late on June 8 in north Belfast, in which a man in his forties suffered serious injuries to his eyes, face and back. A kitchen knife was recovered at the scene and bystanders intervened before police arrived.
A 30-year-old man was charged with attempted murder, possession of a bladed weapon in a public place and making threats to kill. He was due to appear in court on June 10.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the suspect was a Sudanese refugee who had arrived in the United Kingdom in 2023 via Paris and Dublin, and held a residence permit valid until 2028. Police said there was no evidence of a terrorist motive.
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the violence. “Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she wrote on X.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the stabbing as “horrific”, adding that he had zero tolerance for such scenes on Britain’s streets. PSNI assistant chief constable Ryan Henderson appealed for calm and urged community leaders to discourage involvement in disorder.
The attack reignited debate over immigration and asylum. Gavin Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, called on authorities to curb “uncontrolled immigration”, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe demanded details about the suspect.
Belfast MP Claire Hanna told the BBC the events amounted to “a race-based pogrom”, saying men were going door to door to drive out foreign residents. American tech billionaire Elon Musk amplified calls for repeated protests on X.
Separate demonstrations took place in Southampton, southern England, where a recent knife killing had already fuelled clashes with police.
