Unrest spread across Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland on Tuesday night, with vehicles, buses and wheelie bins set ablaze and a string of businesses attacked. The disorder followed a knife attack in North Belfast the previous evening that left one person seriously injured. Reporting live from the city, GB News described fires burning in the middle of streets, barricades thrown up and emergency services struggling to reach the locations they needed to.
The attack at the centre of the anger took place on Monday night. Footage circulating online showed three individuals trying to come to the aid of the victim, who was held on the ground, before police arrived. The video was widely shared on social media, and it was that footage, and the attack it captured, that became the focus of the tension now playing out on the streets.
Police have charged a suspect in connection with the attack. He has been identified as a 30-year-old Sudanese refugee who has been in the United Kingdom since 2023 and held a residence permit valid until 2028. He has been charged with a range of offences and is due to begin the criminal justice process at Belfast Magistrates Court, with the first appearance set for the following day.
As the footage spread, figures associated with the far right called for protests, raising fears among the authorities of further violence. Crowds, many of them dressed in black, gathered in the Northern Irish capital, and a large police operation was deployed in an attempt to prevent demonstrations from turning violent. The disorder was not confined to one area, with several pockets of unrest reported in Belfast and elsewhere across Northern Ireland.
Much of the trouble was concentrated near the Shankill Road, an area closely associated with the Protestant community. A reporter on the scene described seeing armoured police cars driving past over a bridge being pelted with cones by masked youths and young men standing nearby, with no attempt made to stop and arrest them. Groups of youths barricaded roads, and there appeared to be widespread attacks on businesses, with reporters warned to move away from the most volatile situations.
Emergency services were left dealing with several tense and dangerous scenes at once, including residential properties, cars, buses and bins being set on fire. Crews were repeatedly halted at barricaded areas, denied the freedom of movement around their own city, with fire and rescue teams unable to get close to some of the blazes. Police, fire crews, ambulances and paramedics were all stretched across multiple flashpoints through the night.
Political leaders urged restraint. The First Minister appealed for calm earlier in the day, and ministers and police warned that those taking part in the disorder would face a crackdown. The events echoed earlier episodes of unrest, with Northern Ireland having seen violent anti-immigration demonstrations in recent years. Officials warned that the situation remained fragile and could escalate further, even as they pressed their message that the violence had to stop.