Police Deploy Water Cannons Amid Night of Violence in Belfast Following Stabbing Incident
Police used water cannons on protesters who set fires and threw objects after a stabbing in Belfast sparked anti-immigrant unrest, prompting additional officers and political condemnation.
Police in Belfast fired water cannons on demonstrators who set small fires and hurled bricks, rocks and bottles during a second night of unrest linked to a recent stabbing on a city street. The crowd, some wearing masks, broke bricks from walls, used sledgehammers to damage sidewalks and employed sections of a dismantled picket fence as cover.
The disturbances followed the appearance in court of a 30-year-old Sudanese man charged with attempted murder after he allegedly blinded a victim, Stephen Ogilvie, in the left eye with a knife. The suspect, Hadi Alodid, was ordered to remain in custody after a video appearance in Belfast Magistrates' Court. Police said he was found at the scene armed with a kitchen knife and later told hospital staff he had killed someone.
On the previous night, masked individuals set fire to several homes they believed housed immigrants, burned trash bins, torched a bus and threw objects at police. Firefighters rescued residents, leaving more than two dozen people homeless. One local resident, originally from Congo, described the scene as frightening and expressed concern for his safety.
Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said families, including those with infants, were taken to police stations for protection and that an additional 200 officers would be deployed. He emphasized that the violence affected people from across communities and offered no justification for the actions.
Political leaders condemned the unrest. First Minister Michelle O'Neill called the incidents "thuggery" and described the arson as "disgusting cowardice," while Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said targeting people unrelated to the stabbing was "utterly wrong." Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled the stabbing "sickening" and warned that violence based on background would not be tolerated. Justice Minister Naomi Long warned that agitators on social media were exploiting local fears and called the actions "racism."
Authorities noted there was no evidence the stabbing was terrorism-related. The incident has revived discussion about the open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a sensitive element of the peace process established after decades of conflict.
