Politicians and community leaders have accused the far right of seeking to foment unrest in Northern Ireland and across the UK after a graphic video of a knife attack in Belfast prompted calls for mass street protests against immigrants and refugees.
Police charged a 30-year-old asylum seeker from Sudan with attempted murder on Tuesday night after an attack that left a man severely injured and caused widespread shock and revulsion.
Fears of street disorder grew after figures on social media including Elon Musk called for demonstrations against immigration. Crowds, including youths with masks and hoods, gathered at several intersections in and around Belfast on Tuesday night.
Hundreds gathered on the Shankill Road with many wearing dark clothes and face coverings.
Some posts from accounts in Northern Ireland vowed that roads would be closed overnight and told people to prepare for disorder.
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a far-right agitator who refers to himself as Tommy Robinson shared the video of the attack and posted a call for protests in central London and elsewhere in the UK.
The stabbing happened at about 10.30pm on Monday outside a block of flats in north Belfast. Video shared on social media showed a man straddling another man on the ground and striking at his head and neck. A kitchen knife was recovered from the scene. Police said the victim, in his 40s, had serious injuries to his eyes, face and back.
The clip showed people intervening to stop the assault, with one man, later named locally as Maitiu Mag Tighearnan, using a hurling stick against the attacker multiple times.
In addition to attempted murder the suspect was charged with possession of an article with a blade or point in a public place and threats to kill. He is to appear at Belfast magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
Jon Boutcher, the chief constable of the Northern Ireland Police Service, told a press conference he believed the suspect was granted leave to remain in the UK on September 28 2023. “I’m informed that he made his way from Sudan to Paris at dates unknown, and from Paris he flew to Dublin at a date yet to be determined.”
The suspect travelled from Dublin to Belfast by bus on February 10 of 2023 and claimed asylum, said Boutcher. “There is no trace of this suspect on any of our national security databases, and he was not known to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I’ve been in direct contact with the head of terrorism policing in the UK. At this stage we have no information to suggest that this was terrorist-related.”
The chief constable asked protestors to not be goaded into disturbances: “People are incited by people who are faceless and know nothing about this brilliant vibrant place. Do not be fooled or duped by people online.”
Immigrant communities expressed fear that they would be targeted. Sudanese business owners on Sandy Row, a loyalist area of central Belfast, closed their stores with steel shutters by 4pm and said they planned to stay at home that night.
The Belfast Islamic Centre cancelled evening prayers. “We are telling our congregation to go home, don’t go out, look after your children, don’t share rumours and do listen to the authorities,” said Ameer Ibrahim, a project manager who spoke in a personal capacity.
Politicians in Belfast and London condemned Monday night’s assault and appealed for calm.
Keir Starmer called the attack sickening. “I 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.”
The first minister, Michelle O’Neill, told the public not to be persuaded by social media accounts to start causing disorder. “For all of those people out there who are stoking up tensions in that social media space who are happy to raise tensions, they do not represent us. We are good people and I don’t want to see anybody living in fear.”
The deputy first minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, said people would be feeling a “bag of emotions” but added: “don’t allow those people who don’t care about people here to incite hatred and incite fear”.
Rightwing commentators from England and the US, including the MP Rupert Lowe and billionaire and owner of X Elon Musk, posted about the attack. Musk shared a list of potential protest areas in the UK and wrote “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”
The assistant chief constable, Ryan Henderson, told reporters the suspect was in the country legally. Henderson urged people not to share or repost images or footage of the assault. “Doing so risks causing further trauma to the injured man’s loved ones and may impact the ongoing investigation.”
Naomi Long, the Stormont justice minister, echoed the appeal, saying the images were “deeply disturbing and traumatising to view”.
Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, said: “The horror of what you have seen in Belfast is a direct result of treacherous Tory and Labour immigration policy. “Reform has already announced a total ban on visas for anyone from Sudan. Enough is enough.”
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