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Belfast unrest after stabbing
Violence in Belfast, Northern Ireland, flared for a second night after a knife attack in which a Sudanese man was charged over the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie, with rioters hurling bricks at police and police firing water cannon to disperse crowds.
Saudi Gazette said the water cannon was deployed at the Sandyknowes roundabout in Glengormley, about eight miles (13km) north-west of Belfast city centre, as masked youths tore up pavements and walls of private homes to make bricks.
Al Jazeera reported that police used “water cannon in an attempt to maintain public order” during clashes on Wednesday, and said the unrest was triggered by a knife attack involving a Sudanese refugee.
The BBC described the stabbing victim as Stephen Ogilvie, with his family appealing for calm and condemning the wave of anti-immigrant violence in the city, while the suspect, Hadi Alodid, appeared in court on charges including attempted murder.
Calls for calm, blame online
Ogilvie’s family said, “We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward,” as Al Jazeera reported that the family also condemned the wave of anti-immigrant violence in Belfast.
Al Jazeera quoted the family adding, “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,” while the suspect Hadi Alodid was remanded in custody and the case was adjourned to July 8.
WV News reported that Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the violence included families “from across communities that were caught up in this vile behavior last night,” and that “There is absolutely no excuse for it.”
In London, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the unrest as “shocking and completely unacceptable,” and said “driving people out of their homes is not … the right way to respond,” according to Al Jazeera.
Arrests, homelessness, and next steps
Riot violence in Belfast left residents displaced, with Al Jazeera reporting that UK minister Ruth Anderson said at least 27 people were made homeless “because people went door-to-door to try and target foreign nationals.”
“Police in the United Kingdom city of Belfast have used water cannon to disperse dozens of far-right protesters during a second night of unrest triggered by a knife attack involving a Sudanese refugee”
WV News said firefighters rescued several people from burning houses and that more than two dozen people were left homeless, while police prepared for more violence and said 200 more officers would be on the streets Wednesday.
Belfast’s political leadership condemned the unrest, with First Minister Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein calling it “thuggery” and saying, “Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” while Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said that “taking frustration at the evil actions of a person out on those who had no part in it is utterly wrong.”
Authorities also linked the unrest to online agitation, as WV News said police were prepared for more violence after masked men on Tuesday set fire to several homes they believed to house immigrants, and as Al Jazeera reported that social media videos of the stabbing attack circulated widely on Tuesday, sparking calls on social media for violent protest.
