Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice. This was the response of Northern Ireland’s first minister Michelle O’Neill to the thuggery of anti-immigrant protesters in the city of Belfast in the United Kingdom.
The protesters torched vehicles and buildings after a Sudanese man was arrested over a knife attack that left one person with serious injuries.
“This has nothing to do with community; this is outright thuggery. The attack in North Belfast was heinous and wrong. But there are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people who are simply trying to live, work and raise their families here,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The first minister accused the protestors of racism, intimidation and violence.
Hundreds of protesters, many of them masked, gathered at several locations across the city on Tuesday, setting fire to a bus and several cars.
Disorder continued in Belfast on Wednesday following a knife attack that left a man seriously injured, with police deploying additional officers as unrest spread across several parts of Northern Ireland’s capital.
Authorities said a 30-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with Monday night’s attack.
He also faces charges of possessing a bladed article in a public place and making threats to kill.
Fires were reported in several parts of Belfast, including a bus that was set ablaze in the east of the city.
Police deployed riot units and Tactical Support Group officers as unrest spread to multiple areas, according to Sky News.
The broadcaster reported that residents were evacuated from a building damaged by fire, while masked individuals gathered in some areas of the city.
Many businesses closed early, public transport was suspended, and some roads were disrupted as authorities sought to contain the unrest.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland called for calm and urged people not to take the law into their own hands, while investigations into both the attack and the subsequent disorder continue.
The victim, a man in his 40s, remains in hospital with serious injuries to his eyes, neck, and back, the report said.
The attack took place on Monday night in North Belfast, where police said the victim suffered significant injuries and an investigation was launched to establish a motive.
British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the suspect is a Sudanese national who had been granted leave to remain in the UK after entering via Ireland. – AA and ONM reporter.
