BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP), Families clutching children and neighbors rushing to help each other fled burning homes in Belfast on Tuesday night as anti‑immigration protests spiraled into violence following a knife attack that left one man seriously injured.
Police charged a 30‑year‑old Sudanese asylum seeker with attempted murder after the attack, which was filmed and widely shared online. The victim, a man in his 40s, remains hospitalized with serious injuries to his eyes, back and face.
Residents described scenes of fear and chaos. “We grabbed the children and ran when we saw the flames coming closer,” said one mother in north Belfast, who asked not to be named for safety reasons. “It felt like we were being hunted.” Emergency crews raced from one blaze to another, with firefighters saying they were “stretched thin” as buses, cars and homes were set alight.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the knife attack as “horrific” but warned against xenophobic violence. “There is absolutely no tolerance for abhorrent scenes of violence like this on our streets,” he said. Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill accused protesters of “burning families out of their homes” and called the unrest “outright thuggery.”
Community groups opened church halls to shelter displaced families, while the Belfast Migrant Centre said immigrant households were “terrified” and called for stronger police protection. “These are people who came here to build a life. Now they are afraid to sleep in their own homes,” the center said in a statement.
Footage of the attack spread rapidly online, fueling anger among far right accounts. Elon Musk reposted calls for demonstrations, amplifying messages from British agitator Tommy Robinson. Analysts say such amplification can turn isolated incidents into nationwide unrest. Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson appealed for calm, warning against “sporadic pockets of disorder” and urging communities to protest peacefully.
Northern Ireland has faced racially motivated unrest before. In 2025, violence broke out in Ballymena after two Romanian teenagers were accused and later cleared of sexual assault. Globally, the unrest reflects rising tensions over immigration across Europe. Far right movements in Germany, France and Italy have similarly seized on violent incidents to push anti‑immigrant narratives. Human rights groups warn that unchecked rhetoric online can destabilize communities and undermine integration efforts.
The events in Belfast highlight how immigration debates, amplified by social media, can escalate into violence with international resonance. They also underscore the vulnerability of immigrant families, many of whom fled conflict only to face hostility in their new homes. As one displaced resident put it: “We came here for safety. Now we don’t know where to go.”
