Night of unrest, chaos and anti-migrant violence in Belfast after the shocking stabbing of a forty-year-old by a Sudanese refugee: dozens of demonstrators, almost always with their faces covered, set fire to houses, vehicles and buses, engaged in clashes with the Northern Ireland police and launched what was defined as a “pogrom” against foreigners, targeting families of African origin in particular.
In the east, a group of around one hundred masked men walked the streets shouting “kick out the foreigners” while firefighters intervened 62 times to put out fires during the night. The protests were fueled by appeals spread online by groups of so-called “patriots” linked to the ultra-right: a post by the extremist Tommy Robinson was relaunched on X by Elon Musk complete with an invitation to take to the streets.
Harsh condemnation from the Labor government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the local executive led by Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill. “There is no justification for this type of destruction and hooliganism,” said Northern Ireland Minister Hilary Benn.