Anti-immigration riots entered a second day in Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland on Wednesday, 10 June 2026, after Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese national who entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status with leave to remain until 2028, appeared via video link in Belfast Magistrates’ Court and was charged with on Stephen Ogilvie that left the man in his 40s blinded in his left eye.
Hundreds of masked protesters, many incited by far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s social-media calls for demonstrations across the UK, set fire to homes, vehicles, a Middle Eastern supermarket, a Glider bus, and a Turkish barber shop across Belfast, Portadown, Derry, Newtownabbey, and Ballyclare on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill described “groups of masked men burning families out of their homes” as “nothing less than disgusting cowardice.”
Police used water cannons against rioters in Northern Ireland on the second day of the protest. The police dispersed a crowd of about 300 people who burned down a truck and hurled stones at the Sandyknowes roundabout near Newtownabbey in Belfast, reported The Guardian.
The riots are the latest in a recurring pattern of anti-immigrant violence in the UK, following the 2024 Southport killings (which sparked nationwide riots later that summer and were amplified online by figures including Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson) and the June 2025 Ballymena anti-immigrant violence in Northern Ireland over an alleged sexual assault.
Stephen Ogilvie’s family has explicitly rejected the anti-immigrant framing of the protests, stating in a public message: “We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector, and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background, and I will not tolerate it. Those responsible will feel the full force of the law.”
Starmer said people were understandably shocked by the attack, but stressed that the violence, arson and disorder that followed were completely unacceptable.
🚨 WATCH: Keir Starmer calls for calm after the attempted beheading of a man in Belfast
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UK leaders strongly condemned the violence that followed Monday’s knife attack in north Belfast and urged people to remain calm, reports the Irish Times.
Northern Ireland’s executive ministers issued a joint statement strongly condemning the violence, disorder and intimidation seen in communities in recent days, states a report by the Irish Times.
The executive ministers urged people to reject violence and allow the law to take its course. The ministers said the actions of individuals and communities would shape how Northern Ireland is viewed by the rest of the world.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the scenes as deeply disturbing. She said people have a right to be angry and to expect secure borders, but no one has the right to attack police, damage public property or force families from their homes.
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn appealed to those involved in the unrest to stop. He said the violence was terrifying children and families, with many being forced to flee amid flames, shouting, and chaos, says a report by the Irish Times.
Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher urged people not to be influenced by misinformation and inflammatory comments circulating online. He asked the public to avoid being misled by people who do not understand Northern Ireland or the situation on the ground.
Referring to the knife attack in Belfast, they said it was a deeply shocking incident and that the matter is now before the courts, and justice must be allowed to proceed.
“Racism, intimidation and violence are wrong wherever they occur. There can be no justification for attacking homes, burning family cars, damaging businesses and damaging our public transport and our roads. “It furthers no cause and benefits no one.”
Police deployed a water cannon against protesters throwing bricks in Belfast as anti-immigrant unrest sparked by a knife attack spread across Northern Ireland for a second consecutive day
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The disturbances followed a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday in which a man, Stephen Ogilvie was seriously injured. Ogilvie’s family condemned the violence and urged people to stop spreading misinformation online.
They told the Guardian that Stephen is in a stable condition and that the family does not support the disorder. They stressed that peaceful protest is the only acceptable response. “We want to make it absolutely clear that to do this in response is not supported by our family, and peaceful protest is only ever the way forward.”
Stephen Ogilvie’s family said in their statement that they were “devastated by the horrific attack” but pleaded for calm. The victim, who is in his 40s, lost his left eye and suffered deep cuts to his head, face and back, a court heard on Wednesday.
As per a report by the Guardian, in Newtownabbey, near Belfast, some protesters reportedly planned to target a hotel believed to house migrants. Demonstrators set up barricades using fences, tyres, furniture and bins, and started a large fire. A white van was driven into the flames before the driver got out. A bystander was taken to the hospital after being hit by a rock, while a police officer also suffered a head injury during protests in Belfast.
Violence was reported in parts of Northern Ireland on Wednesday, including in Belfast, Derry and Coleraine, though the unrest was less severe than the previous night. Police said several planned protests did not take place, while a demonstration at Stormont remained peaceful. Anti-immigration protesters also staged a demonstration in Dublin on Wednesday afternoon, when a large crowd descended on Leinster House, says the Irish Times.
