Homes, cars, and businesses were set ablaze across Belfast on Tuesday evening as hundreds of protesters took to the streets following a horrific knife attack on Monday. The violence, described as anti-immigration, escalated rapidly, with masked groups shouting 'get the foreigners out' as they targeted properties.
Charges Filed After Knife Attack
A 30-year-old Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder after a knife attack on Monday evening left a man in his 40s with serious neck and head wounds. He is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. The Home Office confirmed the alleged attacker entered the UK in 2023, was granted refugee status, and has leave to remain until 2028.
Reporter Witnesses Chaos
Express reporter Conor Wilson reported from the scene, describing a car burning behind him and houses with smashed windows. 'You can see a burning car behind me, and it's not an isolated incident. Behind me, houses have been kicked in. There's glass on the floor where houses of suspected immigrants have been smashed in,' he said. 'You look inside, the houses have been destroyed.'
Wilson noted that police were forced to retreat as crowds hurled rocks, projectiles, and fireworks. 'This is the street where just an hour ago police were forced to retreat as a crowd came that way towards them,' he added. 'We see the devastation here and the poor people having to clear up. Somebody just told me they've not seen anything like this since the Troubles.'
Political Condemnation
Michelle O'Neill, Northern Ireland's first minister, condemned the violence on X, calling it 'disgusting cowardice.' She stated, 'Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice. This has nothing to do with community. This is outright thuggery.' She appealed for calm and emphasised that racism, intimidation, and violence are unacceptable.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the knife attack as 'sickening' and expressed solidarity with the victim. He wrote on X, 'The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening. I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets.'
The leaders of Northern Ireland's five main political parties issued a joint statement condemning the brutality and urging people not to share graphic images. 'There is no place in our society for this kind of brutality,' the statement read. 'We call for calm and for space to allow justice to take its course.'
Clean-Up Underway
A major clean-up operation is now underway after widespread disorder across the city. Houses, vehicles, and a bus were burned, and public transport was suspended overnight. Witnesses reported children among those watching the violence, with some appearing to enjoy the chaos, which Wilson described as 'quite hard to put into words.'
