Belfast knife attack disorder 'destabilising', says terror adviser

The impact of migration on the UK's national security requires discussion, according to Jonathan Hall KC, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. His comments came after disorder erupted in Belfast following a knife attack, which involved a 30-year-old Sudanese man charged with attempted murder who had entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status.

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If you look at state threats and people who have been willing to act as proxies or carry out attacks on behalf of Iran... I'm interested in the question of whether or not foreign nationality, particularly recent migrants, is becoming more relevant to the overall national security picture

Hall asserted that it is "absolutely legitimate to talk about immigration in the context of national security." He expressed interest in whether foreign nationality, especially among recent migrants, is becoming more relevant to the national security picture, referencing potential state threats and proxies. While the Belfast incident did not appear to be a national security event, Hall observed its significant ramifications, including the displacement of Black and brown individuals from their homes, describing the situation as "extraordinarily destabilising."

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it has had huge ramifications... not least for people who happen to be black and brown who appear to have been driven out their houses, so it's extraordinarily destabilising

The reviewer also touched upon Donald Trump's National Security Strategy, which accused Europe's migration policies of creating strife. Hall questioned whether certain countries are more prone to committing serious offenses or engaging in state threat activities due to migration patterns. He posed the question: "Do we need to start thinking about migration now not simply in terms of the economy and housing, but also in terms of national security?"

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Do we need to start thinking about migration now not simply in terms of the economy and housing, but also in terms of national security?

Drawing a parallel to the security services' assessment of individuals who left the UK to join the Islamic State group from Syrian camps, Hall indicated that involvement in or witnessing serious violence can affect the risk posed by returnees. He concluded that national security is fundamentally about the health of the nation, suggesting that migration management must consider security alongside economic and housing factors, a point echoed in the government's strategy. The EU's new Pact on Migration and Asylum, set to be enforced, faces criticism from both the right and the left regarding its approach to human rights and asylum procedures.

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Ultimately national security is the health of the nation.