SHOCK SCENES AS BELFAST ENDURES SECOND NIGHT OF RIOTS..! – More than 200 people reportedly took to the streets as Belfast endured a second consecutive night of unrest, with dramatic scenes unfolding across parts of the city.
The family of a man who lost his eye have begged for calm as 200 people took to the streets for a second consecutive night of chaos.
Northern Ireland has endured a second consecutive night of civil unrest, with approximately 200 people gathering in Newtownabbey and hurling objects at police as tensions continue to simmer following a brutal knife attack on Monday.
Footage of the gathering at Newtownabbey shows local authorities forced to deploy water canons to keep the crowd back from the line. Police wound down their operation in the area around midnight UK time after protesters were dispersed, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
Belfast rioter sets himself on fire while throwing petrol bomb
An alleged rioter set…
Images from an eerily empty Netownabbey show bins overturned and smouldering in piles of ash and flames, a home burnt down and residents trying to remove wreckage from the road. A truck was also set ablaze earlier in the day.
In Portadown, one rioter allegedly set himself on fire after trying to throw a petrol bomb at a shop.
Crowds also assembled in Coleraine, the BBC reports, where officers blocked roads to contain the situation. Separate demonstrations, including one outside Stormont, passed without incident. A third anti-immigration protest in front of Belfast’s City Hall failed to materialise on Wednesday (June 10) eveing after only three people turned up, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
Police face a second wave of unrest — and few believe it will be the last.Picture: PA via AP
Meanwhile, the BBC reports a derelict house was set alight in Glengormley, where most of the unrest is taking place. Protesters are said to be battling police as they move down a major Belfast highway. Some are entering nearby front gardens, smashing paving stones and throwing them at police.
Police have also used water cannons in north Belfast. They are also reporting minor trouble in Derry, also known as Londonderry.
Aerial footage from County Antrim shows crowds throwing objects at police and a bin lit on fire in the middle of the road.
Belfast saw a heightened police presence, with public transport services wound back early as a precaution.
Northern Ireland has endured a second consecutive night of civil unrest, with approximately 200 people gathering in Newtownabbey and hurling objects at police as tensions continue to simmer following a brutal knife attack on Monday.
Footage of the gathering at Newtownabbey shows local authorities forced to deploy water canons to keep the crowd back from the line. Police wound down their operation in the area around midnight UK time after protesters were dispersed, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
Images from an eerily empty Netownabbey show bins overturned and smouldering in piles of ash and flames, a home burnt down and residents trying to remove wreckage from the road. A truck was also set ablaze earlier in the day.
In Portadown, one rioter allegedly set himself on fire after trying to throw a petrol bomb at a shop.
Crowds also assembled in Coleraine, the BBC reports, where officers blocked roads to contain the situation. Separate demonstrations, including one outside Stormont, passed without incident. A third anti-immigration protest in front of Belfast’s City Hall failed to materialise on Wednesday (June 10) eveing after only three people turned up, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
Police face a second wave of unrest — and few believe it will be the last.Picture: PA via AP
Meanwhile, the BBC reports a derelict house was set alight in Glengormley, where most of the unrest is taking place. Protesters are said to be battling police as they move down a major Belfast highway. Some are entering nearby front gardens, smashing paving stones and throwing them at police.
Police have also used water cannons in north Belfast. They are also reporting minor trouble in Derry, also known as Londonderry.
Aerial footage from County Antrim shows crowds throwing objects at police and a bin lit on fire in the middle of the road.
Belfast saw a heightened police presence, with public transport services wound back early as a precaution.
Crowds of around 200 gathered in Newtownabbey on the second consecutive night of disorder, hurling objects at police as tensions following Monday’s knife attack show no signs of cooling. Picture: Henry NICHOLLS / AFP
It comes as a “hit list” of home addresses were reportedly shared on social media and other communication apps following the unrest, according to LBC.
The unrest, which saw widespread property destruction and reports of protesters targeting immigrants, follows what’s been described as the attempted beheading of Stephen Ogilvie, who, a court heard, has lost his left eye, sustained damage to his right eye, and suffered injuries to his neck and back.
His family has urged restraint, saying “unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward.”
They also said the sharing of false information on social media was “deeply distressing” and must stop. In a statement released through the police, Mr Ogilvie’s relatives said they had been left “feeling disgusted” by the recent disorder.
Sudanese national Hadi Alodid, 30, appeared in court charged with attempted murder, threats to kill an NHS radiographer, and possession of a knife. He was remanded in custody for four weeks.
Rioters set a bus on fire the day before. Picture: by Paul Faith / AFP
Alodid entered the United Kingdom in 2023 and was subsequently granted refugee status, police confirmed.
Horror injuries after ‘attempted beheading’
The victim in the alleged attempted beheading that took place on the streets of Belfast has lost his left eye.
Mr Ogilvie, who is in his 40s, also sustained injuries to his right eye, neck and back in the brutal stabbing that has rocked Northern Ireland.
He remains in hospital.
Meanwhile the suspected attacker, a Sudanese asylum seeker identified in a Belfast court as Hadi Alodid, has been charged with attempted murder as well as threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife.
Belfast Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday that Alodid allegedly told emergency services after being arrested: “I have killed someone. I don’t know if they are dead.”
The 30-year-old was remanded in custody for four weeks.
The victim has been named as Stephen Ogilvie. Picture: Facebook
Protests erupt
Destructive anti-immigration protests erupted after disturbing footage emerged of the attack.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it would boost officer numbers in the capital city after hundreds of protesters dressed in black and donning face masks set buildings alight and attacked police armoured vehicles on Tuesday night local time.
Police choppers patrolled above the city, and shops closed early. A bus also caught fire, according to reports from AFP.
Images from the protest showed roads being cordoned off by police and armoured vehicles being brought in to contain protesters.
A bus was set alight in East Belfast. Picture: AP Photo/Peter Morrison
Protesters scaled police armoured vehicles. Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
Others showed homes and cars ablaze down a residential street and fire service personnel on the scene. Rioters were also seen pelting objects at police and scaling armoured cars.
Rioters also set on fire a Middle Eastern supermarket, according to locals who spoke with Sky News UK.
Some areas of Belfast are said to be a “ghost town” with businesses and restaurants closing down to avoid the mayhem.
One man told Sky News UK some protesters are alleged to be “stopping cars and checking nationalities of people”.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland’s First Minister – the most senior politician in the British territory – accused rioters of “burning families out of their homes”.
Vehicles were set on fire in east Belfast. Picture PA via AP
“[This] is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she wrote on X.
“This has nothing to do with community. This is outright thuggery. The attack in North Belfast was heinous and wrong.”
Meanwhile, protests also broke out in Southampton, England, against the housing of migrants in a nearby hotel.
It comes after police confirmed the Sudanese suspect arrested after a horrifying “attempted beheading” has leave to remain in the UK.
Youths gather in front of a burning barricade on Duncairn Gardens in Belfast. Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
Graphic mobile phone footage of the incident showed a man straddling the bloodied victim’s chest and hacking at his neck as bystanders scream, “he’s trying to cut his head off”.
“He’s just killed him, hurry up!” a man says in the video.
As the victim struggles weakly to get away, the attacker raises what appears to be a small knife in the air screams something unintelligible in a foreign language.
“Get off him ya f**kin rat!” a woman yells.
The attacker then takes the knife to the man’s throat in front of the horrified witnesses as the victim groans.
The Sudanese man is accused of having attempted to ‘behead’ a man. Picture: X
Protests also took place in Southampton, England. Picture: Andrew Matthews/PA via AP
“He’s trying to cut his head off! Hurry up! He’s slicing his head off!” the man says.
Bystanders rush in and attempt to overpower the attacker, with one yelling, “kill him!”
The sound of something metal can be heard hitting the ground as another local rushes in and begins whacking the offender in the head with a hurling stick.
Northern Ireland police has promised to boost officer numbers in Belfast. Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
The attacker falls to the ground but refuses to release the victim from the headlock. Another bystander kicks the offender in the head before police arrive at the scene and rush into the commotion.
The PSNI confirmed one man was in custody.
“Police in north Belfast are currently in attendance at Kinnaird Ave following the report of a stabbing incident shortly after 10.30pm on Monday, June 8,” police said in a statement.
“A man has been arrested in relation to the incident and is in police custody, while a second man has been taken to hospital with serious injuries.”
Police later confirmed they had arrested a Sudanese man in his 30s, who is understood to have lived in the area, on suspicion of attempted murder.
Rioters are accused of burning families out of their homes. Picture: PA/PA Images via Getty Images
Officers will remain at the crime scene and have asked for witnesses or anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage of the incident to come forward.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the attack was “sickening” and he will have “absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets”.
“My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim, and I thank the first responders, including members of the public who intervened,” he added.
