Police Deploy Water Cannons as Belfast Protests Continue
Police said 200 extra officers were deployed after rioters set homes and vehicles ablaze, leaving 27 people homeless and several families evacuated.
- On Wednesday, police deployed water cannons against protesters in Belfast following a stabbing attack that triggered two nights of unrest; Hadi Alodid, 30, faces attempted murder charges after allegedly blinding victim Stephen Ogilvie.
- Authorities stated Alodid entered Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland in 2023, receiving a 5-year permit to remain; police confirmed there is no information to suggest the attack was terrorism-related.
- Masked men set fire to several homes on Tuesday, leaving more than two dozen people homeless, as demonstrators pelted police with objects; Boutcher deployed 200 additional officers to restore order Wednesday.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the stabbing attack as "sickening," while First Minister Michelle O'Neill called the attacks "thuggery"; Ogilvie's family appealed for peace, stating migrants "make a deeply valuable contribution to our country."
- Some politicians linked the unrest to the open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, following recent tensions over a separate stabbing case in Southampton, England, which U.S. Vice President JD Vance previously seized upon.
242 Articles
242 Articles
Water cannon deployed in Northern Ireland as protests enter second night
Police in Northern Ireland fired water cannons on Wednesday as a wave of anti-immigrant violence entered its second night. Widespread demonstrations erupted on Tuesday following news of a knife attack in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
'Racist thuggery' slammed after second night of Northern Ireland unrest
Police arrested 16 people during a second night of disorder in Northern Ireland sparked by a brutal Belfast stabbing, a senior minister said Thursday, condemning rioters for "racist thuggery".The clashes with police late Wednesday came hours after a Sudanese man appeared in court charged with attempted murder over Monday night's shocking knife attack.Video of the...
Extra officers called in as violent unrest in Belfast continues for another night
A protestor throws a rock at Police vehicles on Sandy Row on June 9, 2026 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) (BELFAST, Northern Ireland) — Extra officers from the U.K. are being deployed to Northern Ireland on Thursday following another night of violent unrest over an alleged knife attack by an immigrant suspect. Scotland will send 90 officers to Northern Ireland to support an additional 200 officers from across the U…
Reports: Belfast Knife Suspect Was Sudanese Police Officer
The Sudanese migrant accused of the Belfast knife attack that triggered widespread riots this week is a former policeman from a prominent family in northern Sudan, according to new reports. Friends told British media that Hadi Alodid briefly served with the police in Khartoum before leaving the country after the outbreak of civil war in 2023. The revelation emerged as Northern Ireland experienced a second night of disorder, with police making 16…
Belfast riots spread to second night as police deploy water cannons
Police in Northern Ireland fired water cannons Wednesday on rioters hurling projectiles at officers in Newtownabbey, as anti-immigrant unrest fueled by a viral knife attack entered its second consecutive night near Belfast.
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