Thousands of people in Northern Ireland have taken to the streets to protest a wave of anti-immigrant violence, following a knife attack that shocked the capital city of Belfast.
On June 13, demonstrators gathered outside Belfast City Hall, holding banners with slogans such as “Hate is the only threat on our streets” and “Belfast stands against racism.” A similar rally took place at Londonderry (often called Derry) City Hall.
The protests came after two nights of racist chaos and violence in Belfast, when a video of a knife attack on the evening of June 8 circulated on social media. In the footage, a man can be seen pinning a victim to the ground and stabbing him multiple times.
The suspect, Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese national, appeared in court on June 11 charged with attempted murder of victim Stephen Ogilvie, who remains hospitalized.
Hilary Hunter, 63, a protester, told AFP she felt “disgusted by what is happening” and wanted to show that “those troublemakers do not represent us.”
Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland director of Amnesty International UK, said the largest anti-racism protest ever seen in Belfast sent a clear message: “The vast majority of people in Belfast are anti-racist, welcoming immigrants and minority groups.” He also criticized authorities for being ill-prepared to deal with the violence and called for strong political leadership from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Northern Irish leaders.
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn on June 12 condemned the riots, saying some people had been “threatened and had their homes burned by masked thugs because of the color of their skin.” He also reported that people had been stopped in their cars on the way to work and asked for their nationality, calling such acts “completely unacceptable.”
Local councillor Seamas de Faoite of the nationalist SDLP party said people took to the streets to express “outrage” at “racist violence.” He revealed that city organizations were working tirelessly to rehouse those too afraid to return home.
Immigration is a hot-button issue in both the UK and Ireland, fueling the rise of the right-wing Reform UK party. Both countries have seen frequent anti-immigration protests in recent years, some turning violent.
