In Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, an anti-immigrant riot erupted following a knife attack on June 8 that left a 44-year-old victim seriously injured. The suspect, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, has been charged with attempted murder.
Mobs, including many teenagers, set fire to buses, cars, and homes believed to belong to ethnic minorities. Shops and schools closed early out of fear. About 200 families have been evacuated.
An AI-generated list of locations, shared by far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk, called for the closure of all immigrant-run businesses by 5:30 PM. Hundreds responded to the call.
Zeinab, a mother of three originally from Sudan living in Belfast, said she was horrified and had to seek help from an NGO to evacuate. She said: “We see that not everyone here rejects foreigners. There are still good people, people who love us.”
Geraldine Hanna, Northern Ireland's Commissioner for Victims of Crime, called the attacks “domestic terrorism.” She criticized the government for not taking sufficiently strong action, leaving civil society organizations to fend for themselves.
Local officials, including MP John Finucane and First Minister Michelle O'Neill, condemned the violence and called for calm. Meanwhile, the DUP defended the protests as “legitimate concerns about immigration” and called for closing the border with Ireland.
Only 3.4% of Northern Ireland's population—about 65,000 people—belong to ethnic minority communities, according to 2022 statistics. The number of asylum seekers is 2,379. Yet this is the third consecutive summer of organized racist violence in the region.
