Ireland hit by anti-immigrant riots after Sudanese refugee charged with attempted murder

Belfast was plunged into chaos on Tuesday evening as anti-immigrant protesters set fire to buildings and vehicles following a knife attack in the north of the city. The violence erupted after police charged a 30-year-old Sudanese refugee with attempted murder, prompting the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to declare a critical incident.

Hundreds of demonstrators, many of them masked, gathered at multiple locations across Belfast and in nearby Antrim. Riots quickly escalated as a crowd of around 100 men kicked in doors and broke windows of residential properties in east Belfast.

A bus, several cars, and a building on the edge of the city centre were set alight, forcing local residents, including foreign nationals, to evacuate.

The unrest follows a graphic video circulating widely on social media showing a man repeatedly slashing a victim in his 40s in the head, face, and back with a kitchen knife on Monday evening.

Members of the public intervened to tackle the attacker before police arrived, actions credited by senior officers with saving the victim’s life. The injured man remains in serious condition in hospital with significant wounds, including injuries to his eyes.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed that the suspect is a Sudanese national who arrived in the UK in February 2023 via Paris and Dublin, and was granted leave to remain as a refugee until 2028. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher stated that the individual had no prior record on national security databases and was not previously known to local police. The knife attack is not currently being treated as a terrorism-related incident.

Political leaders have heavily criticised the ensuing riots. Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, described the actions of masked men burning families out of their homes as “disgusting cowardice”, emphasizing that there is no justification for the violence.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned the original stabbing incident, labelling it “sickening” and “horrific”.

The violence comes amid heightened nationwide tensions regarding immigration and asylum policies. High-profile political figures, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, demanded immediate transparency regarding the suspect’s background, while tech billionaire Elon Musk used social media to amplify calls for repeated public protests. Extra police units and armoured vehicles remain deployed across Belfast to restore order.