Violence has erupted in the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast, after a 30-year-old man of Sudanese nationality was arrested on Tuesday accused of being the alleged perpetrator of the stabbing of a person who is hospitalized with injuries to the face and neck.
The police are unaware of the motives behind the attack. However, this has not prevented tensions from escalating. A bus and several cars and homes were set on fire on Tuesday night by protesters who were demonstrating against what they perceive as leniency from authorities towards non-white criminals.
The attack occurred at a time when controversy over police conduct in the case of Henry Nowak, a young white man who was fatally stabbed in December in the city of Southampton by Vickrum Singh, an Indian Sikh, has not subsided. On that occasion, not only did the police believe the criminal's version—who claimed to be the victim—but they also failed to provide medical assistance to the dying Nowak.
The riots have been fueled on social media by Elon Musk, the world's richest man, who on Tuesday retweeted several messages from Rupert Lowe, the founder and leader of the ultra-nationalist party Restore Britain, including one that stated: "We cannot welcome those who want to decapitate our children."
In general, the entire opposition to the British Labour government believes that the police are too lenient with non-white individuals. The leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, who is black herself, has stated that if the attackers in Southampton and Belfast had been white, the crimes would have been prevented.
Anti-migration protesters blocked streets and set fire to buildings and vehicles in the capital after a knife attack that was captured on video and shocked the country. The footage, which went viral on social media, shows a man mounted on another while stabbing him multiple times in the head and neck, which far-right figures claimed was an "attempted decapitation," reports AP.
The suspect in the attack has been charged with attempted murder, possession of a bladed article in a public place, and death threats. He is a Sudanese refugee with a valid residence permit until 2028.
Following the attack and the call from far-right leaders, hundreds of people, many of them wearing hoods, gathered at various points in Belfast. A bus and several vehicles were set on fire, while a building on the outskirts of the city was set ablaze, leading to the evacuation of its residents.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service reported having a "busy night" on Tuesday, responding to 256 calls between 7:00 pm and midnight. Firefighters attended to 62 incidents, most of them in the Belfast metropolitan area, as reported by the BBC.
"Around 7:30 pm (6:30 pm GMT), they set fire to the containers (...), we heard police cars and sirens," said Eemran, an Indian engineer who has been living in Belfast for just over a year.
Camila, a 36-year-old Chilean who moved to Belfast a month ago, described it as "terrifying." "Of course, I am not used to this," she said. "I understand people's anger, but there are also ways to discuss these things more peacefully."
Local channel Sky Television showed other buildings on fire, while police helicopters patrolled over the city and shops closed early.
Michelle O'Neill, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, condemned the protests and urged calm: "Groups of masked men burning family homes are nothing but despicable cowardice," she stated on the social network X.
Crowds also gathered in Antrim, about 25 kilometers west of Belfast.
The 30-year-old suspect in the attack, whose motivations are unknown, is due to appear in court on Wednesday. According to the Chief of the Northern Irish Police, Jon Boutcher, the man arrived in the UK in 2023, having passed through Paris and then Dublin.
The victim, a man in his forties, was hospitalized in serious condition, with "significant injuries to the eyes and severe lacerations on the back and face," according to Deputy Commissioner Ryan Henderson.