Video broadcast by Sky News showed groups of masked men moving through parts of Belfast late Wednesday as unrest continued for a second straight night across Northern Ireland. The footage comes after the attempted beheading attack in north Belfast, for which a Sudanese national was arrested.
Police used water cannons overnight as they moved to disperse crowds that had gathered again despite a heavy security presence, per the BBC. Officers were reinforced following serious disturbances on Tuesday night, which saw multiple areas descend into violence.
In County Antrim, at least 200 people assembled at a roundabout where a vehicle was set on fire and bricks were thrown towards police. Officers were also targeted in several other locations as groups formed, broke apart, and regrouped throughout the evening.
Transport services were suspended across Northern Ireland and some schools closed early on Wednesday as authorities warned of further disruption. Belfast city centre was quiet by midday, with many businesses shutting earlier than usual amid ongoing safety concerns.
The Sandyknowes roundabout, around eight miles north-west of Belfast, was among the main spots where police deployed water cannons as objects were thrown and aerial footage showed piles of bricks being gathered. In East Belfast, around 200 people gathered under a large police presence in an area already affected by unrest the previous night.
Reports from Ulster University campus in Coleraine, County Londonderry, also came in where more than 100 people assembled before dispersing following exchanges with police. In Londonderry, motorists were advised to avoid the Ardmore Road at the Church Brae junction due to fires. Around 140 people also gathered at the Stormont estate in Belfast before dispersing.
The unrest follows the arrest of Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old originally from Sudan, who appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder after a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday. The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, is in his 40s and suffered severe injuries, including the loss of his left eye, damage to his right eye, and injuries to his neck and back.
The attack and subsequent reporting on the suspect’s background triggered protests across Northern Ireland on Tuesday, which escalated into violent disorder in several areas. During that unrest, masked groups were seen setting fire to homes, vehicles and a bus, forcing residents to flee, while petrol bombs were thrown at police in multiple locations.
27 people were made homeless after properties allegedly linked to foreign nationals were targeted. A two-month-old baby was rescued during the disturbances, according to officials. Police also warned that sharing addresses online was putting lives at risk.
Two police officers were injured in Belfast on Tuesday night, and two men have since been charged in connection with riot-related offences. Three arrests were also made after disorder spread to Glasgow. Belfast’s Lord Mayor said she received death threats, while the Stormont Executive held an emergency online meeting.
Translink suspended bus services at 5 pm and train services at 6 pm due to safety concerns, according to the BBC.
The Royal College of Nursing said staff, including internationally educated nurses, were stopped by masked groups while travelling to work, with some describing themselves as “absolutely petrified.”
Human Events senior editor Jack Posobiec described the situation as "the new Troubles" and said footage of the attack on Stephen Ogilvie was "one of the most horrific things" he had ever seen. Posobiec argued that public anger over the incident reflected opposition to current immigration policies. "What's happened now in Belfast is Northern Ireland is responding that they are done with the migration policies. They are completely done with everything you're seeing," he said, per the Daily Mail.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon also commented on the unrest during an episode of War Room. "You're going to hit their tripwire. And once you hit their tripwire, these are tough hombres," Bannon said.
"These are working class people, middle class people, and they're not going to sit there and tolerate this continually, pushed by the elites in London and Dublin, who are all globalist, right?" he added.
Bannon further stated, "This is the anti-nationalist just trying to jam this down their people's throat. So this could be pretty intense and hopefully gets channeled into positive nationalism." Bannon slammed leaders' response to the unrest, saying, "But I've got to tell you, you've got to throw down at first because they don't listen until you throw down hard." On UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Bannon said, "Not one comment about the perpetrator and what these migrants are destroying."
Police used water cannons overnight as they moved to disperse crowds that had gathered again despite a heavy security presence, per the BBC. Officers were reinforced following serious disturbances on Tuesday night, which saw multiple areas descend into violence.
In County Antrim, at least 200 people assembled at a roundabout where a vehicle was set on fire and bricks were thrown towards police. Officers were also targeted in several other locations as groups formed, broke apart, and regrouped throughout the evening.
Transport services were suspended across Northern Ireland and some schools closed early on Wednesday as authorities warned of further disruption. Belfast city centre was quiet by midday, with many businesses shutting earlier than usual amid ongoing safety concerns.
The Sandyknowes roundabout, around eight miles north-west of Belfast, was among the main spots where police deployed water cannons as objects were thrown and aerial footage showed piles of bricks being gathered. In East Belfast, around 200 people gathered under a large police presence in an area already affected by unrest the previous night.
Reports from Ulster University campus in Coleraine, County Londonderry, also came in where more than 100 people assembled before dispersing following exchanges with police. In Londonderry, motorists were advised to avoid the Ardmore Road at the Church Brae junction due to fires. Around 140 people also gathered at the Stormont estate in Belfast before dispersing.
The unrest follows the arrest of Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old originally from Sudan, who appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder after a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday. The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, is in his 40s and suffered severe injuries, including the loss of his left eye, damage to his right eye, and injuries to his neck and back.
The attack and subsequent reporting on the suspect’s background triggered protests across Northern Ireland on Tuesday, which escalated into violent disorder in several areas. During that unrest, masked groups were seen setting fire to homes, vehicles and a bus, forcing residents to flee, while petrol bombs were thrown at police in multiple locations.
27 people were made homeless after properties allegedly linked to foreign nationals were targeted. A two-month-old baby was rescued during the disturbances, according to officials. Police also warned that sharing addresses online was putting lives at risk.
Two police officers were injured in Belfast on Tuesday night, and two men have since been charged in connection with riot-related offences. Three arrests were also made after disorder spread to Glasgow. Belfast’s Lord Mayor said she received death threats, while the Stormont Executive held an emergency online meeting.
Translink suspended bus services at 5 pm and train services at 6 pm due to safety concerns, according to the BBC.
The Royal College of Nursing said staff, including internationally educated nurses, were stopped by masked groups while travelling to work, with some describing themselves as “absolutely petrified.”
Human Events senior editor Jack Posobiec described the situation as "the new Troubles" and said footage of the attack on Stephen Ogilvie was "one of the most horrific things" he had ever seen. Posobiec argued that public anger over the incident reflected opposition to current immigration policies. "What's happened now in Belfast is Northern Ireland is responding that they are done with the migration policies. They are completely done with everything you're seeing," he said, per the Daily Mail.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon also commented on the unrest during an episode of War Room. "You're going to hit their tripwire. And once you hit their tripwire, these are tough hombres," Bannon said.
"These are working class people, middle class people, and they're not going to sit there and tolerate this continually, pushed by the elites in London and Dublin, who are all globalist, right?" he added.
Bannon further stated, "This is the anti-nationalist just trying to jam this down their people's throat. So this could be pretty intense and hopefully gets channeled into positive nationalism." Bannon slammed leaders' response to the unrest, saying, "But I've got to tell you, you've got to throw down at first because they don't listen until you throw down hard." On UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Bannon said, "Not one comment about the perpetrator and what these migrants are destroying."
