Government officials have condemned 'racist thuggery' across Belfast as twelve police officers were injured in continued heated clashes with violent protesters raining down bricks and petrol bombs.
Attack on Police
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said he was 'glad to say that last night there was less disorder than we witnessed on Tuesday night' in the wake of a horrific knife attack captured on video and circulated on social media. The assault had left Stephen Ogilvie fighting for his life in hospital after losing an eye in the ordeal.
Sixteen arrests were made on Wednesday (June 10) as police deployed water cannons while officers came under attack from bricks and petrol bombs thrown by masked rioters in Co Antrim. A Department for Infrastructure vehicle was set on fire during clashes near the Sandyknowes roundabout in Newtownabbey.
Rioters Use Bricks and Petrol Bombs
Footage showed dozens of men dressed all in black and wearing face coverings gathering on Antrim Road, where they could be seen tearing bricks from properties and smashing paving stones with sledgehammers to create projectiles to throw at police.
Rioters attempted to set fire to a derelict property near a petrol station in Newtownabbey, with some throwing petrol bombs at police lines. They could also be seen taking wheelie bins from outside homes and lighting fires in them.
In Londonderry, police reported items having been set alight on the Ardmore Road. The family of the victim Stephen Ogilvie said they were 'disgusted' by the disorder.
Court Appearance
Hadi Alodid, 30, appeared in court on Wednesday, charged with attempted murder over Monday's knife attack in which Mr Ogilvie lost an eye.
The reaction to the incident saw mobs set homes, a bus and cars on fire in Belfast on Tuesday, with people targeted based on their race. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) appealed for assistance in identifying individuals in images connected to Tuesday night's disorder.
The force also urged those in the pictures to come forward to police.
