Race riots broke out in Belfast, with masked men torching homes and vehicles belonging to non-white families. The violence followed online calls for protest by Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson after a Sudanese asylum seeker was charged with attempted murder.
The events highlight the potential for online rhetoric from influential figures to incite real-world violence and underscore the challenges of managing social media content that fuels division and targets vulnerable communities.
Race riots broke out in Belfast on Tuesday night, with hundreds of masked men torching homes and vehicles belonging mostly to non-white people and families. The rioters reportedly set up checkpoints to search cars for foreign nationals following the arrest of a Sudanese asylum seeker charged with attempted murder.
Elon Musk and far-right activist Tommy Robinson had urged people to demonstrate across the UK, with Musk posting on X, "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!" Both shared protest locations on the platform. Labour Party Chair Anna Turley denounced Musk, an American citizen from South Africa, as 'appalling' and 'grievously wrong' for exploiting the situation.
Footage showed children being evacuated from homes near those set alight, and a Middle Eastern supermarket was torched. Residents described cars exploding and houses about to catch fire, with men seen smashing windows and stating their intention to 'get foreigners out'. Streets were blocked by makeshift roadblocks, and masked men checked passing cars.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the disorder as 'shocking and completely unacceptable,' stating there was no justification for the violence or for those who encouraged it. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill called the events 'disgusting cowardice' and 'outright thuggery'. Anti-migrant protests also occurred in London, Glasgow, and Southampton, with reports of fighting and attacks in Glasgow.