Family of stabbing victim urges calm as violence flares in Northern Ireland
Police in Northern Ireland have clashed with protesters for a second night after a knife attack in Belfast triggered unrest targeting ethnic minorities. Officers used water cannons and armoured vehicles against groups of young men throwing bricks and fireworks to the north of the city. The family of the man injured in the stabbing has now appealed for calm, saying peaceful protest is the only way forward.
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The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, was described in court as a man in his 40s who suffered significant injuries to his face and back. A Sudanese man, named in court as Hadi Alodid, appeared on Wednesday and was remanded in custody on a charge of attempted murder. The family said overnight unrest was not welcome and warned against using the incident to divide people or fuel hostility.
The violence has included masked men burning homes and torching vehicles, with several cars and a bus set on fire and reduced to shells. Police also helped one family escape from a burning house, according to the account of the unrest. Local politicians and a pastor said many of those targeted were black, underlining the ethnic dimension of the attacks.
The latest disorder matters because it has moved beyond a single criminal case and into wider anti-immigration violence. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the attack raised serious questions, but added that driving people out of their homes was not the right response. Politicians in Northern Ireland have also condemned the violence, signalling concern about the impact on community relations and public order.
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The unrest followed the circulation online of video of the knife attack, which spread through social media on Tuesday and was linked to calls for violent protest. That online amplification appears to have helped turn anger over the stabbing into coordinated street violence. The family's statement also stressed that migrants make a deeply valuable contribution to the country, reflecting an effort to separate the victim's case from attacks on minority communities.
What remains unclear is whether the second night of clashes marks a peak in the disorder or the start of a longer period of tension. It is also not yet clear how many people have been injured or arrested in the unrest, beyond the court case linked to the stabbing. Police, local leaders and the courts are likely to remain central as authorities try to contain further violence and prevent reprisals.
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