Anti-immigration protests erupt in Belfast after Sudanese man charged with attempted murder in knife attack
Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with police and set vehicles ablaze in Belfast on Tuesday evening, hours after a 30-year-old Sudanese man was charged with the attempted murder of a man in a brutal public knife attack.
The attack and arrest
A 30-year-old man from Sudan was charged on Tuesday evening with attempted murder, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, and threats to kill. The charges follow a knife attack on Monday in north Belfast, during which a man in his forties suffered severe injuries to his face, eyes, neck, and back. Police recovered a kitchen knife at the scene. The suspect is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
A graphic video of the attack circulated widely on social media, showing the assailant straddling a bloodied victim on a street and striking him repeatedly with a knife. At one point, the attacker raised the knife and shouted. Bystanders eventually intervened to separate the two men. Police urged the public not to share the footage.
The man in his forties was taken to hospital with significant eye injuries and cuts to his back and face.
Protests escalate across Northern Ireland
By around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators, many with masked faces, gathered at the edge of Belfast. Protests were also reported in Antrim, Bangor, Ballymena, Newtownabbey, and Southampton in southern England. In Belfast, demonstrators blocked access to the M2 motorway and several major traffic arteries. Public transport operator Translink suspended all Metro and Glider bus services in the city.
At Freedom Corner in east Belfast, around 200 people assembled. As the evening progressed, the situation deteriorated. Protesters erected barricades and set a Glider bus on fire on Newtownards Road. Shops closed earlier than usual, and police helicopters hovered over west and north Belfast.
- Sudanese man attacks a man in his forties with a knife in north Belfast, causing severe injuries.
- Hundreds of masked demonstrators gather at the edge of Belfast; protests also begin in Antrim, Bangor, Ballymena, and Newtownabbey.
- Protesters block the M2 motorway and major roads; Translink suspends all Metro and Glider bus services in Belfast.
- A Glider bus is set on fire on Newtownards Road; police and fire services deploy to the scene.
- Suspect is officially charged with attempted murder, weapons possession, and death threats.
- Suspect is scheduled to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court.
Suspect's immigration status under scrutiny
The suspect received a five-year visa in September 2023, according to Northern Ireland police. He travelled from Sudan to Paris and Dublin before arriving in Belfast, where he applied for asylum. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn told Parliament he could not confirm whether the suspect had entered the country illegally. DUP leader Gavin Robinson called for curbs on uncontrolled immigration.
Political reaction and calls for calm
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, and Justice Minister Naomi Long appealed for calm. Police Chief Jon Boutcher urged people not to be incited by social media and to allow investigators to do their work. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack on X.
The terrible attack in Belfast is abhorrent. I have absolutely no tolerance for horrific scenes of violence like this on our streets.
Far-right activists, including Tommy Robinson, had called for the demonstrations. Elon Musk encouraged protesters on X to take to the streets repeatedly and loudly. Authorities fear the attack could be used as a pretext for further racially motivated protests, echoing the severe riots that shook the United Kingdom in the summer of 2024.
