The family of the Belfast stabbing victim have condemned violent riots that saw houses torched, forcing families to flee, as “not welcome” - but their plea failed to stop a second night of disorder in the city.
Relatives of Stephen Ogilvie, who lost an eye in Monday night’s attack, said they were “horrified” by what happened to him but insisted they did not want the incident to stoke division, after migrant families were targeted by rioters.
They defended migrants, who they said “make a deeply valuable contribution” to Northern Ireland, and called for peaceful protests going forward.
The intervention came after cars were set alight as tensions over immigration flared when it was revealed that the alleged attacker, Hadi Alodid, 30, was an asylum seeker who had come to the UK from Sudan.
But the plea for calm was defied on Wednesday night, when disorder broke out again, this time in Newtownabbey to the northwest of Belfast. Police fired water cannons at a large group of protesters after they were pelted with bricks in Antrim Road, where wheelie bins were also set on fire after being pulled out into the road.
On Tuesday night, two police officers were injured during the clashes, and two people have been charged with rioting. An 18-year-old was arrested after a petrol bomb was thrown at officers in Carrickfergus, though security minister Dan Jarvis warned that more arrests “will surely follow”.
On Wednesday, police drafted an extra 200 officers onto the streets.
It came as:
- Sir Keir Starmer said the violence seen in Belfast was “totally unjustified” and that leaders were determined to restore order
- Mr Alodid appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of Mr Ogilvie, as well as threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife
- Sinn Fein lord mayor of Belfast Rois-Maire Donnelly said police had warned her that threats had been made against her life following the attack
- Transport operator Translink cancelled all buses from 5pm and trains after 6pm “due to expected protests” on Wednesday
- Some schools in Northern Ireland closed early because of the threat of more disturbances
Appealing for calm in a statement released through Phillip Brett, a DUP member of the Northern Ireland assembly, Mr Ogilvie’s family said: "”We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward.
“We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector, and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”
Racist rioting across Belfast following the knife attack saw mobs of masked men set homes, a bus and cars on fire, with people targeted based on their race.
Police fear further violence in the wake of the stabbing, which was captured in video footage that has been widely shared online, with high-profile social media accounts using the incident to call for protests.
The suspect, Mr Alodid, appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged in relation to the attack, which left Mr Ogilvie with deep cuts to his head, face and back.
District judge Stephen Keown refused bail after hearing concerns from police that there could be “significant public disorder” if the suspect was released, due to “strong public feeling” about the incident.
Mr Alodid was remanded in custody and is next set to appear in court in four weeks.
The judge warned that anyone who plans to take part in further disorder in Northern Ireland should “be prepared to go to prison”, adding that the courts “won’t tolerate” any attacks on emergency services.
A Glider bus was set alight in east Belfast on Tuesday night, and in Lendrick Street several cars were set ablaze. Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service officers had to remove some residents after their homes caught fire. A number of houses and vehicles were set on fire near the Ligoniel Road area of the city, while a police car was torched in Portadown.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said police had rescued “so many” families, including a two-month-old baby. He condemned those taking part in the disorder, which he said was a “huge act of self-harm by mindless idiots who are actually only damaging their own futures”.
He vowed to clamp down on further unrest, and pleaded: “This has got to stop. Please, no more.”
Anselme Shima, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who lives with his wife, two sons and daughter near Lendrick Street, said the violence was a “very scary moment” for his family.
He said: “It’s just a terrifying moment, we don’t know what to do. I’m scared. Seeing this, I’m wondering if I’m next. If this happened, is my house the next to be attacked? I don’t know.”
On Wednesday, although protesters gathered at Stormont and near Ulster University in Coleraine, it was at Sandyknowes where the violence took place with people throwing objects at the lines of police vehicles.
Public transport was suspended and some schools closed early on Wednesday with fears of violence.
Monday’s stabbing was captured on video, which showed heroic bystanders, including one with a hurling stick, intervening to stop the attack in Kinnaird Avenue, a residential area.
In their statement, Mr Ogilvie’s family said they were “completely devastated” by the attack, and offered a “profound thank you” to those who helped him.
“Your quick actions absolutely saved his life, and we will never forget what you did for him in that moment,” they said.
Sir Keir said the rioting in Belfast was “shocking and completely unacceptable”.
“It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background, and I will not tolerate it,” he said. “Those responsible will feel the full force of the law.”
Police forces across the UK are monitoring intelligence on planned protests, and have plans in place to allow them to mobilise officers should further disorder break out.
Online posts from people including billionaire Elon Musk, the boss of social media platform X, and far-right activist Tommy Robinson highlighted demands for people to take to the streets.
Northern Ireland’s justice minister Naomi Long said social media agitators who “yesterday would have struggled to find Belfast on a map” were “weaponising the fear that people genuinely have about what happened”.
