Key facts
- Police deployed water cannons and plastic bullets against anti-immigration protesters in Belfast.
- A 'hit list' of homes occupied by foreign nationals was circulated among rioters.
- The unrest followed a stabbing incident involving Stephen Ogilvie.
- The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, is reportedly improving and may be woken from a coma.
- Twelve police officers were injured during the disturbances.
- Sixteen arrests were made, with two individuals charged.
Police in Belfast used water cannons and plastic bullets against anti-immigration protesters for a second night, following a stabbing incident and the circulation of a 'hit list' targeting homes of foreign nationals. The victim of the stabbing, Stephen Ogilvie, is reportedly improving and could be woken from a coma within 48 hours, according to DUP leader Gavin Robinson.
Rioters hurled projectiles, set fire to vehicles and homes, and established makeshift checkpoints to identify and confront individuals perceived as non-white. The unrest, which led to 12 police officers being injured and 16 arrests, has drawn condemnation from political leaders across the UK. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the events as 'shocking and completely unacceptable,' while Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O’Neill labelled the actions as 'disgusting cowardice.'
Similar anti-migrant protests occurred in Glasgow, where police reportedly secured Muslim worshippers inside a mosque. The violence in Belfast has been linked by some to far-right extremism, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage suggesting such incidents would persist due to public sentiment.