Several Belfast families were displaced after a night of disorder on Tuesday, wherein multiple homes, vehicles, and a Translink Glider city bus were set on fire following protests linked to the attempted beheading in the Northern Ireland city. Some reports have indicated that some of the houses specifically targeted were HMOs (Houses with Multiple Occupants), which typically house migrants and refugees.
Emergency services responded to dozens of incidents across the city, with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service confirming it attended 62 incidents overnight, most in the Belfast area. Police said public transport was suspended and several streets were closed as fires spread through residential neighbourhoods.
Among those affected was Jamie Corrie, who told the BBC that his east Belfast home was destroyed after a nearby vehicle was ignited. Speaking outside the burnt-out property on Lendrick Street, he said the fire escalated rapidly. “I told them before they were lighting the car, I said ‘this is my property’,” he said. “See standing there watching your house get burnt… that’s a feeling I’ll never get over.”
Corrie said that firefighters arrived after the property was "already engulfed in flames,” adding that personal belongings inside were lost.
A burnt-out city bus was also a victim of the fires, where it remained smouldering after being set alight. Witnesses reported masked groups moving through parts of east Belfast during the evening as fires broke out at multiple locations.
A number of residents were forced to evacuate their homes. Yura, 19, a Ukrainian woman who lives in east Belfast, said her household was impacted when fire spread to neighbouring properties. “My neighbour's house was set on fire. So, my front door caught the fire a bit. It had to be kicked out to stop the fire because it was about to go in the house,” she said. “I was with my dog at the house, so I had to escape through the back door.”
She added that she later stayed with friends overnight after leaving the area.
The disorder followed a knife attack and attempted beheading in north Belfast on Monday night, in which a man, Stephen Ogilvie, was seriously injured. A suspect, Hadi Alodid, 30, originally from Sudan, appeared in court charged with attempted murder. The attack was broken up after a passerby whacked Alodid with his hurley stick.
Police and political leaders have appealed for calm. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said officers would remain deployed in greater numbers, warning against online incitement. Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the violence, stating: “The scenes we all saw last night were nothing short of disgraceful. None of this is about community. It is thuggery.”
Fire damage was also reported at residential properties and commercial premises across Belfast and nearby areas, with some businesses confirming vandalism and structural damage following the unrest.
Emergency services responded to dozens of incidents across the city, with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service confirming it attended 62 incidents overnight, most in the Belfast area. Police said public transport was suspended and several streets were closed as fires spread through residential neighbourhoods.
Among those affected was Jamie Corrie, who told the BBC that his east Belfast home was destroyed after a nearby vehicle was ignited. Speaking outside the burnt-out property on Lendrick Street, he said the fire escalated rapidly. “I told them before they were lighting the car, I said ‘this is my property’,” he said. “See standing there watching your house get burnt… that’s a feeling I’ll never get over.”
Corrie said that firefighters arrived after the property was "already engulfed in flames,” adding that personal belongings inside were lost.
A burnt-out city bus was also a victim of the fires, where it remained smouldering after being set alight. Witnesses reported masked groups moving through parts of east Belfast during the evening as fires broke out at multiple locations.
A number of residents were forced to evacuate their homes. Yura, 19, a Ukrainian woman who lives in east Belfast, said her household was impacted when fire spread to neighbouring properties. “My neighbour's house was set on fire. So, my front door caught the fire a bit. It had to be kicked out to stop the fire because it was about to go in the house,” she said. “I was with my dog at the house, so I had to escape through the back door.”
She added that she later stayed with friends overnight after leaving the area.
The disorder followed a knife attack and attempted beheading in north Belfast on Monday night, in which a man, Stephen Ogilvie, was seriously injured. A suspect, Hadi Alodid, 30, originally from Sudan, appeared in court charged with attempted murder. The attack was broken up after a passerby whacked Alodid with his hurley stick.
Police and political leaders have appealed for calm. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said officers would remain deployed in greater numbers, warning against online incitement. Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the violence, stating: “The scenes we all saw last night were nothing short of disgraceful. None of this is about community. It is thuggery.”
Fire damage was also reported at residential properties and commercial premises across Belfast and nearby areas, with some businesses confirming vandalism and structural damage following the unrest.
