Belfast awoke to scenes of devastation on Wednesday after masked thugs torched parts of the city in a shameful retaliation to a knife attack. Homes and businesses were set alight as the mob allegedly targeted non-white residents, with black families reportedly pulled from their homes in the dead of night.
Attack Sparks Violence
The violence followed a knife attack on Monday, June 8, when local man Stephen Ogilvie, in his 40s, was assaulted in the Kinnaird Avenue area of Belfast. He sustained severe injuries to his face, neck, and back, and has reportedly lost his left eye. He remains in serious condition.
Hadi Alodid, 30, from Sudan, has been charged with attempted murder, possession of a blade, and making threats to kill. He was remanded in custody at Belfast Magistrates' Court for four weeks.
Night of Terror
The violence began around 8pm when a flaming bin was shoved into a bus on Newtownards Road in east Belfast, with neighboring homes catching alight. Horrifying footage showed fires burning on Lendrick Street as the black-clad mob set fire to cars, buses, buildings, a police vehicle, and a Turkish barbershop. Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service attended some 62 incidents overnight.
Local resident Yura, 19, from Ukraine, described the terrifying scenes as she fled her home with her dog. She told BBC Northern Ireland: "My neighbour's house was set on fire. So, my front door caught the fire a bit. It had to be kicked out to stop the fire because it was about to go in the house."
Sham Supermarkets, a Middle Eastern supermarket previously destroyed during the 2024 riots, was also incinerated. Shopkeeper Mohammed Al-Abied, originally from Syria, said: "I have six children, all crying all night. They were scared somebody would come and harm us. We didn't sleep."
Families Forced to Flee
As the terror spread, families were forced to flee their homes near north Belfast's Crumlin Road. Thugs targeted non-white residents, with a pastor at the scene telling the BBC that residents were being put out of their homes "because they're black." In the Lower Newtownards Road area, some 100 masked men kicked in doors and smashed windows, declaring they were "getting foreigners out." Checkpoints were reportedly set up, with groups searching cars for foreign nationals.
One family placed a baby monitor outside their window to watch for thugs. Carl Whyte MP told BBC Radio 5: "For some reason, that little detail really struck me, what people are having to live through in my own city."
A family with four young children ran from their home as masked men kicked in doors and started fires while yelling "foreigners out." Independent Belfast councillor Paul Doherty told the BBC that the children were "traumatised" but receiving support.
Police Rescue Families
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the force had "rescued so many families," including "a baby as young as two months." He added: "These weren't just families from ethnic minority communities, these were families from across communities that were caught up in this vile behaviour."
The DUP's Jonathan Buckley assisted a 70-year-old Northern Irish citizen with dementia who was hospitalised after a brick was thrown through his window. He said: "I had to comfort families that were terrorised."
First Minister Michelle O'Neill condemned the "outright thuggery," remarking: "Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice."
Fears of Further Violence
UK police forces are monitoring intelligence on protests, with plans to mobilise officers if further disorder erupts. Anselme Shima, who has lived in east Belfast for 13 years, spoke of his anguish at explaining the situation to his three young children. He said: "Myself, tonight, if I could have the possibility to put my family in a safer place I would take them."
Stephen Ogilvie's family called for peace, stating: "We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility."
