Belfast protests erupt again after stabbing as police deploy water cannons

Belfast erupted in violence for a second consecutive night as masked protesters clashed with police, deploying water cannons and responding to hurled bricks, rocks, and bottles. The unrest stemmed from a brutal stabbing that left a man seriously injured and triggered anti-immigrant sentiment.

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I've killed someone, I don't know if they are dead.

Demonstrators, some masked, tore bricks from walls and smashed sidewalks with sledgehammers to use as projectiles against riot police. They also used sections of a dismantled picket fence for cover. These clashes occurred hours after a 30-year-old man from Sudan, Hadi Alodid, appeared in Belfast court charged with attempted murder. A detective stated Alodid blinded the victim, Stephen Ogilvie, in the left eye during the knife attack. Alodid also faces charges of possessing a knife and threatening to kill a radiographer.

Police had anticipated further violence after masked individuals on Tuesday set fire to several homes suspected of housing migrants, torched a Belfast bus, and pelted officers with objects. Firefighters rescued multiple people from burning houses, leaving over two dozen individuals homeless. "Foreigners out" was reportedly shouted by some of the masked men as they set trash cans ablaze.

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I will kill you.

Anselme Shima, a Belfast resident originally from Congo, described the scene near his home as "horrific." He expressed fear and uncertainty, stating, "We don't know what to do. I'm scared. Seeing this, I'm wondering if I'm next." Police Chief Constable Jon Boutcher confirmed that families, including one with a baby, were rescued and taken to police stations for safety. He condemned the behavior, noting that the affected families were from "across communities" and that there was "absolutely no excuse for it."

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We don't know what to do. I'm scared. Seeing this, I'm wondering if I'm next.

Alodid, who refused legal representation through an Arabic interpreter, did not enter a plea during his court appearance via video link. He remains in jail. The detective noted that when officers arrived at the crime scene, they found Alodid on top of the victim, armed with a kitchen knife. Alodid later told hospital staff, "I've killed someone, I don't know if they are dead," and threatened to kill a staff member.

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These weren't just families from ethnic minority communities, these were families from across communities that were caught up in this vile behavior last night. There is absolutely no excuse for it.