The attack on Kinnaird Avenue

The violence began after an attack on Monday night around 10:30 p.m. on Kinnaird Avenue in north Belfast. A 30-year-old Sudanese man, Hadi Alodid, attacked Stephen Ogilvie, a British man in his 40s, with a large kitchen knife. A 54-second video of the incident circulated widely on social media, showing the attacker on top of the victim, striking him repeatedly and appearing to attempt a decapitation. Witnesses can be heard shouting that the attacker was cutting the victim's head off.

Three bystanders intervened, one using a hurley stick to subdue the attacker until police arrived and made the arrest. Ogilvie, described by local media as a National Health Service worker, remains hospitalized in critical condition with severe injuries to his neck and back and has lost his left eye. His family released a statement saying they were "completely devastated" by the "horrific attack" while condemning the subsequent riots.

“We want to make it completely clear that last night's riots are not tolerable, and that peaceful protests are the only useful way.”

The suspect

Alodid entered the United Kingdom in 2023, arriving in Dublin via a flight from Paris before crossing the Northern Irish border. He applied for asylum and was granted a temporary residence permit valid until 2028, giving him legal status as an asylum seeker. He appeared via video link at a Belfast court on Wednesday, charged with attempted murder by stabbing, issuing death threats to another person, and possession of a bladed weapon with homicidal intent. The judge denied bail, accepting the police position that the risks were "too great." Police have ruled out a terrorist motivation.

Two nights of violence

Tuesday and Wednesday nights saw hundreds of protesters, mostly hooded youths, clash with police across Belfast and surrounding towns. In Sandyknowes, around 200 people gathered and threw stones and bottles at officers, who deployed water cannons to disperse the crowd. A cleaning truck was set on fire. In Glengormley, police also used water cannons. In Newtownabbey, groups of hooded youths dressed in black threw objects at police manning a barrier.

The crowd attempted to reach the Chimney Court Hotel, where asylum seekers are often housed while their applications are processed. Social housing units accommodating immigrants were set alight on Tuesday night, forcing families to flee. Cars, supermarkets, and homes were burned. A city bus was torched in east Belfast. Emergency services escorted migrant families from their homes. Many businesses closed early, companies recommended remote work, and public transport services were suspended on several lines.

Political reaction and far-right involvement

The attack has galvanized far-right figures on both sides of the Atlantic. Elon Musk, owner of X, posted to his more than 240 million followers: "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and FORCEFULLY will we achieve any change." Rupert Lowe, founder of the three-month-old ultranationalist party Restore Britain, wrote on X: "We must stop giving asylum to those who wish to decapitate young people." Polls suggest his party could reach nearly 10% of the vote.

“Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and FORCEFULLY will we achieve any change.”

The Police Service of Northern Ireland warned that contact details and addresses of immigrant households were being shared online, inciting further protests. Police said they had received calls from families, landlords, and community members who were "distressed as a result of this irresponsible activity." The violence is the worst seen in Belfast since the Troubles, the sectarian conflict that ended in the late 1990s.

A broader European pattern

The Belfast riots are part of a growing pattern of anti-immigration unrest across Western Europe. The incident follows last week's conviction of a Sikh man for murdering a young British man, Henry Nowak, whom he falsely accused of a racist attack. The deep demographic changes in Northern Ireland, a society still marked by sectarian divisions between Catholics and Protestants, have created fertile ground for nationalist identity politics. The Ogilvie family appealed for the attack not to be used to target immigrants, stating: "We have many immigrants who make a very valuable contribution to our country. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide the people or stir up hostilities."