Belfast, United Kingdom. Hundreds of anti-immigrant protesters took to the streets of Belfast on Tuesday, with some setting vehicles on fire, after police charged a Sudanese man over a knife attack that left one person with serious neck and head wounds. Police said the attack in north Belfast late on Monday is not currently being treated as terrorism.
Attack and police response
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the attack as “sickening”. Video of the incident was widely shared on social media.
Northern Ireland’s Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said he had declared the case a “critical incident”. He said the victim, a man in his 40s, suffered significant injuries to his eyes and slash wounds to his face and back during the “brutal” attack, and that a kitchen knife was found at the scene.
“I understand that last night’s attempted murder will leave people feeling a range of emotions, from fear to anger,” Henderson told a press conference.
“I appeal for calm and the safety of all of our communities in response to this.”
Protests and unrest
Masked youths gathered at points across Belfast, and police responded by deploying armoured vehicles. Protesters set fire to several vehicles, including a bus in east Belfast.
The BBC reported that a crowd of 100 men kicked in doors and broke windows of homes on a street in east Belfast. Sky News showed footage of a house on fire.
A few dozen protesters also blocked Parliament Square in London.
Broader tensions
The knife attack came at a time of heightened tensions in Britain following the murder of a student who was handcuffed by police as he lay dying from stab wounds after his killer, a Sikh man, falsely alleged a racist attack.
It also followed repeated protests about immigration, with populist parties saying Britain’s asylum policy had allowed dangerous men into the country. Northern Ireland saw anti-immigrant rioting last year amid anger over an alleged sexual assault.
