Anti-migrant riots erupt in Belfast after Sudanese refugee charged with attempted murder of radiologist

The trigger

Violence erupted across Belfast on Tuesday night after a 30-year-old Sudanese refugee, Hadi Alodid, was charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie, a 40-year-old radiologist. The attack occurred on Monday in Kinnaird Avenue, north Belfast. Ogilvie remains hospitalised with severe injuries, having lost his left eye and sustained wounds to his right eye, neck, and back. A video of the assault, showing the attacker straddling the bleeding victim while stabbing him repeatedly, circulated widely on social media.

Alodid appeared via video link at a Belfast court, where he refused legal representation and did not respond to the charges, which were translated into Arabic. He was remanded in custody, with the next hearing set for 8 July. According to the Telegraph, Alodid arrived in Belfast in February 2023, travelling from Khartoum via Paris and Dublin, and had been granted permission to remain in the UK only until September of the previous year.

The riots

Hundreds of demonstrators, many masked, gathered at multiple locations across the city. In the east, a group of around 100 masked men marched through the streets chanting slogans against foreigners. The fire service responded to 62 callouts overnight. A bus, cars, and a Middle Eastern grocery store were set alight. Residents were evacuated from a burning apartment block on the outskirts of the city centre, with some carried to safety on police armoured vehicles.

Around 7:30pm they started setting fire to bins, then they threw Molotov cocktails. Suddenly the fire took hold, we had smoke in the building, and the firefighters told us to get out.

Windows of a home belonging to an African family were smashed while the family was inside. Firefighters, assisted by a local pastor, rescued the occupants. Three people have been arrested, with security minister Dan Jarvis telling the Commons that more arrests will follow.

Political reaction

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the riots as shocking and unacceptable, stating that people were targeted because of their origin and that those responsible would face the full force of the law. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said there was no justification for the destruction and hooliganism.

Groups of masked men burning down homes where families live are nothing more than an act of repulsive cowardice. Nothing can excuse or justify the attacks committed tonight.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly also appealed for calm, warning that violence harms local communities. Ogilvie's family issued a statement thanking those who intervened during the attack and the medical staff who treated him, while urging that the tragedy not be used to divide people or fuel hostility.

Far-right mobilisation

The protests were fuelled by online calls from far-right groups. Activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, posted appeals to demonstrate across the country. Elon Musk amplified Robinson's post on X, encouraging people to take to the streets. The unrest has drawn comparisons to a series of ethnically and politically motivated violent incidents recorded in Britain in recent months.

A city on edge

By 11pm local time, the demonstrations began to subside, partly due to heavy rain. But the aftermath left a city scarred. Journalists described scenes resembling a battlefield, with burnt-out vehicles and buildings still smouldering. African residents and other foreigners reported feeling targeted. Camila Flores, a 36-year-old Chilean cancer researcher who arrived in Belfast a month ago, said the experience was frightening, adding that while she understood public anger, such matters should be discussed more peacefully.