BELFAST: Violent mobs attacked immigrant families from their homes and torched cars all over Belfast last night, a day after a Sudanese man attacked a native Irishman with a knife, causing blindness in an incident which went viral all over the Internet.
Ogilvie’s family has come out in public today and pleaded for an end to the bloodshed.
“We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome,” the family said. “We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country. We do not want this terrible tragedy used to divide people or fuel hostility.”
Hadi Alodid Faces Attempted Murder Charges
A Sudanese man, Hadi Alodid, 30 years old, was charged with attempting murder, threats to murder a radiographer, and possessing a blade weapon. He pleaded before the Belfast Magistrates’ Court yesterday without legal representation and used an Arabic interpreter during his hearing.
The attack happened shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday in the Kinnaird Avenue area of north Belfast, leaving Ogilvie, a man in his 40s with severe wounds to his left eye, face, and back.Rioters moved into east Belfast on Tuesday night to break into doors and set immigrant-occupied houses on fire. According to the local church’s pastor, Jack McKee, the people in his community, who are black and who have lived in the area of Belfast for over two decades, are threatened with eviction because of their skin color.
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Police Deploy Water Cannon As Violence Continues
Water cannon and armored cars were used by the police on Wednesday night as they repelled crowds of youths who were throwing bricks and fireworks. The level of violence had decreased compared to Tuesday night, yet the presence of security forces was still high.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to the Parliament in London.
“It is evident that the attacks yesterday were carried out against people based on their background, and I will not tolerate such things,” he stated, threatening those who committed such atrocities that they will fully experience the might of the law. Michelle O’Neill, First Minister of Northern Ireland, termed the riots “nothing but cowardly disgust.”
Authorities have not designated the original knife attack a terrorism incident. But it landed in an already volatile political climate
Messages criticizing the condition of the United Kingdom were re-posted by billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, following the event in Belfast. The police reported an all-time high number of racist cases reported in Northern Ireland in 2025. Academics suggest that even tiny far-right organizations can create disproportionate terror among targeted minorities who live in insular locations. weeks after a student died in Southampton following a stabbing in which the attacker falsely alleged a racist motive, and amid sustained pressure from populist parties who argue Britain’s asylum policy lets dangerous men into the country.
