Northern Ireland: Police deploy water cannons against racially motivated violence

Belfast experienced a second night of severe rioting as police used water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators. The unrest, which escalated after a recent knife attack, is described as racially motivated.

Masked individuals were seen tearing bricks from walls and using sledgehammers on pavements to hurl debris at police officers. In the suburb of Newtownabbey, police urged residents to stay indoors due to projectiles like bricks, bottles, and stones being thrown. Arson attacks were also reported, with trash bins set ablaze. According to the BBC, approximately 200 people gathered in Newtownabbey, with one group attempting to approach a migrant accommodation center, though police intervened.

Bus and train services in Belfast were prematurely halted due to the ongoing protests. The clashes occurred hours after a 30-year-old man, a Sudanese asylum seeker, was charged with attempted murder. He is accused of severely injuring a 40-year-old man with a knife on Monday, an attack that reportedly left the victim blind in one eye. A video of the assault circulated on social media, fueling the subsequent anti-migrant riots. Earlier incidents on Tuesday involved masked individuals setting fire to houses believed to be occupied by migrants, as well as igniting bins and a bus, and throwing objects at police. Firefighters rescued several people from burning homes, leaving multiple individuals homeless.