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By Giulia Carbonaro, Anna Skinner, and Brendan Cole
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Masked protesters targeting foreigners set houses on fire in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in a wave of anti-immigrant violence on Tuesday night.
The violence erupted after a Sudanese man was charged over a knife attack around 10.30 p.m. Monday which left one person with serious head and neck wounds. Video of the attack was widely circulated on Tuesday, sparking public outrage that appeared to be stoked on social media by posts from far-right figure Tommy Robinson and Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Hadi Alodid refused legal representation and made no reply to charges that were put to him through an Arabic interpreter as he appeared in court via videolink on Wednesday, the Press Association reported.
Alodid is charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie on Monday, with threatening to kill an National Health Service radiographer on the same day and with the possession of a knife.
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The victim of the stabbing lost his left eye in the attack, the court was told.
Protesters hijacked and burned a bus on Newtownards Road in the east of the city and torched cars near Shankill Road and in Newtownabbey, with smoke pouring out from the vehicles amid police sirens. Protesters had attacked police and burned cars and homes in several locations across Northern Ireland, including Antrim, Bangor, and Ballymena.
On one street, a group of 100 men kicked down doors and smashed windows of properties, saying they were looking to "get the foreigners out," the BBC reported.
Claire Hanna, Belfast MP and leader of the Social Democratic & Labour Party, described the violence as a "race-based pogrom" adding that there are "men going door to door asking to get the foreigners out based exclusively on the color of their skin."
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the targeted violence, saying: "Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice."
The Suspect, the Victim and the Motive
Alodid is a 30-year-old asylum-seeker from Sudan. Police corrected an earlier report that the suspect was from Somalia.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokesperson said there was no other suspect and appealed for witnesses. A kitchen knife was recovered at the scene.
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In September 2023, Alodid had been given legal permission allowing a non-U. K. citizen to stay in the country, known as "leave to remain" police said, although his status will be later confirmed by the U.K. Home Office. He had traveled from Sudan to Paris then Dublin before heading to Belfast where he claimed asylum.
An investigation into the attack is trying to identify the knifeman’s motive although police said there is no information that the attack was related to terrorism.
The victim, a man in his 40s who has been named as Stephen Ogilvie, is in a serious condition in hospital with injuries to his face, neck and back, according to the PSNI which called on the public to stop circulating footage of the attack.
The Reaction
Politicians and community leaders accused the far right of seeking to foment unrest. John Finucane, the Sinn Féin MP for North Belfast said that the violence was "shameful," while Northern Ireland’s Alliance justice minister, Naomi Long, said the demonstrators were "intent on wreaking destruction."
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement: "The horrific attack in Belfast last night is sickening. I have absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets."
However, Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary, praised those who intervened to try to stop the attack.
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"Amid the horror of what happened we also saw something extraordinary when confronted with scenes of terrifying violence. Members of the public did not walk on by. Instead, a number of them stepped forward and at immense risk to their own safety," he told other members of the U.K. Parliament.
"They intervened to pull the assailant away and protect the victim until the police arrived. To those individuals I would like to say this. You showed the very best of humanity, and you have the profound gratitude of this entire house."
Update 6/10/26, 6:15 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further information.
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