Belfast and several areas across Northern Ireland descended into chaos after hundreds of men wearing balaclavas launched riots, chasing and setting fire to homes to drive out foreign families and Black residents. Cars and buses were also torched after a 30-year-old Sudanese man was charged with attempted murder following a stabbing that left a man seriously injured.
The capital city of Northern Ireland, Belfast, experienced riots and anti-immigrant violence throughout Tuesday night (9 Jun 2024) after a 30-year-old Sudanese man was charged with attempted murder and other offenses. The charges relate to a knife attack on a 40-year-old man who suffered severe injuries to his neck, head, eyes, face, and back.
The unrest began after a widely shared online video showed the assault, sparking public outrage and leading to anti-immigrant protests across various parts of the city, which then escalated into violent incidents.
Reports indicate that hundreds of protesters, mostly wearing face masks, gathered at multiple locations in the city, shouting to expel foreigners. They set fire to cars, public buses, trash bins, and other property, and attacked homes of those perceived to be immigrants.
Local media reported that around 100 masked men marched along a street in east Belfast, smashing doors and windows and breaking into several homes, chanting, “Get the foreigners out.”
In some areas, multiple homes were set ablaze, resulting in intense fires. British media images showed police rescuing a family from a burning house, while other families fled their homes in fear amid the chaos.
Reverend Jack McKee, present in the areas affected by multiple fires on Crumlin Road, said several people were being forced out of their homes solely because of their skin color. He stated, “They were driven from their homes just because they are Black.”
Beyond Belfast, police vehicles were reported burned in Portadown, and a Turkish barber shop was attacked in Ballyclare. Fire services responded to 62 incidents, mostly in the areas surrounding Belfast.
Michelle O’Neill, First Minister of Northern Ireland, strongly condemned the events, saying, “The masked men who burned homes and forced innocent families out of their residences are cowardly and utterly despicable.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the stabbing that triggered the violence as a “shocking and appalling” incident.
Northern Ireland police stated that the stabbing has not been classified as a terrorist act. The Sudanese suspect faces charges of attempted murder, carrying a knife in public, and threatening to kill others, with a court appearance scheduled in Belfast.
According to police, the injured man survived partly because bystanders intervened to stop the attacker before officers arrived. Video footage showed several people struggling to restrain the assailant.
All major political party leaders in Northern Ireland jointly condemned both the stabbing and the subsequent riots, urging the public to end the violence. They warned that attacks on immigrant communities and property destruction only harm their own society and neighborhoods.
This unrest comes amid rising tensions over immigration issues in the UK in recent years and marks another occasion when immigration has sparked violence in Northern Ireland, following similar riots last year.