UK Police Deploy Water Cannon as Anti-Immigrant Protest Continues in Belfast

Police in Belfast have deployed water cannon to disperse dozens of far-right protesters during a second night of unrest in Northern Ireland’s capital, following a knife attack involving a Sudanese refugee.

The clashes on Wednesday saw protesters hurl “missiles” such as rocks and bottles at officers, while images from the scene showed multiple fires burning on the streets as tensions escalated in parts of the city.

The clashes on Wednesday came as the family of the stabbing victim appealed for calm and condemned the wave of anti-immigrant violence in the city in Northern Ireland.

“We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward.

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“We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country… We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility,” the family of the victim, Stephen Ogilvie, said in a statement.

Police said officers were forced to respond with crowd-control measures to restore order, adding that water cannon were deployed “in an attempt to maintain public order”.

The latest disturbances, however, were less intense than Tuesday night’s violence, when hundreds of masked men reportedly set vehicles ablaze and forced families out of their homes in widespread disorder.

The unrest was triggered by public outrage following a stabbing incident involving a Sudanese refugee, which left a man in his 40s critically injured.

TVC News Online had earlier reported that a 30-year-old Sudanese refugee, Hadi Alodid, was arraigned before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on charges of attempted murder, possession of a bladed article, and threats to kill in connection with the attack.

The victim reportedly lost an eye and suffered severe injuries to his neck and face.

Court proceedings revealed that Alodid was denied bail, with the case adjourned until July 8.

The family however confirmed that Ogilvie, who sustained life-threatening injuries including the loss of an eye and wounds to his neck and face, is currently in stable condition as he continues to recover.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the disorder “completely unacceptable” and urged calm.

“There is no justification for the acts of violence and arson that we saw in Belfast last night,” he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.

“We must let the police get on with their work,” he added.