A supermarket in Belfast, already targeted by rioters in 2024, has been severely damaged again during fresh unrest. Footage from this morning shows the entrance reduced to ash, with metal gates torn open by rioters last night.
Background of the Supermarket
The store specializes in Middle Eastern foods and is believed to have been deliberately targeted. In 2024, it was damaged during anti-immigration protests sparked by the Southport stabbings. At that time, butcher Jamal Ghabes told the BBC he no longer felt safe in Northern Ireland and relocated his business elsewhere in Belfast. He later said, 'It's better now. I'm glad I stayed.' The current ownership is unclear, but the interior has been seriously damaged.
Wider Unrest in Belfast
The latest violence followed a knife attack on Monday night, in which a man named Stephen Ogilvie was seriously injured on Kinnaird Road. A 30-year-old Sudanese national, initially thought to be from Somalia, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, possession of a blade, and making threats to kill. Footage of the attack has spurred unrest across Ireland and the UK.
During the disorder, a police Land Rover was attacked on Crumlin Road, a Glider bus was set on fire on Newtownards Road, and several homes and cars were set alight. Crowds confronted police as fires broke out.
Eyewitness Accounts
Jamie Corry, who has lived on Lendrick Street for 13 years, described confronting rioters before his car was set on fire. 'Once I saw the flames starting to get bigger and bigger, I moved away from my property and watched it all,' he said. He entered his property on Wednesday morning to find it 'destroyed, top to bottom completely destroyed.'
The supermarket incident is part of a broader wave of violence that has left many residents in shock and authorities struggling to restore order.
