Belfast latest: Twelve police officers injured and 16 arrests made during second night of unrest

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Man and woman aged in 20s charged following Wednesday night unrest

Following disorder in Portadown, Co Armagh on Wednesday night, a 28-year old-man has been charged with failing to remove a disguise when requested, obstructing police and resisting police, ths PSNI has said.

A 24-year-old woman has also been charged with disorderly behaviour and possession of an article with intent to do damage.

Both are due to appear at Lisburn Magistrates court on Thursday.

Police federation says ‘violent fascist law-breakers’ want to wreck Northern Ireland

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland says twelve officers injured during disturbances last night is down to “violent fascist law-breakers” who want to wreck Northern Ireland.

In a statement on Thursday, PFNI Chair Liam Kelly said it is intolerable that “our colleagues are bearing the brunt of street disorder”.

“They are doing their level best to curtail, frustrate and arrest rioters,” he said.

“My thoughts are with the twelve officers who sustained injuries and who were confronted by thugs throwing bricks, masonry and petrol-bombs and used lasers directed at our frontline.

“Sixteen arrests have been made so far and police efforts will continue at pace to bring scores of others before the courts. My hope is they will be handed maximum sentences.”

Kelly added that general disorder and the forced re-location of innocent families should “leave us shamed and angry”.

“Violent racist and fascist lawbreakers offer nothing but hopelessness and mindless thuggery,” he added

“We’ve getting 200 additional officers under Mutual Aid and they will provide some much-needed relief for my colleagues. However, we are 700 officers below where we should be and some 1,200 short of the 7,500 that was promised.

“Lives are being turned upside down by masked cowards and it’s time this violence stopped. They are bullies who hide behind anonymous social media threats to businesses and people who come here to work in our Health Service and industries.”

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said he was “glad to say that last night there was less disorder than we witnessed on Tuesday night”, as he condemned the “racist thuggery” seen in the wake of Monday’s stabbing that left the victim in hospital.

Twelve police officers were injured and 16 arrests were made in the second night of unrest in Northern Ireland following the Belfast knife attack.

Police used water cannons on rioters, as officers were pelted with bricks and petrol bombs by balaclava-clad rioters in Co Antrim on Wednesday evening.

A Department for Infrastructure vehicle was left in flames as rioters confronted police near the Sandyknowes roundabout in Newtownabbey to the northwest of Belfast.

Footage showed dozens of men dressed all in black and wearing face coverings gathering on Antrim Road, where they could be seen tearing bricks from properties and smashing paving stones with sledgehammers to create projectiles to throw at police.

Rioters attempted to set fire to a derelict property near a petrol station in Newtownabbey, with some throwing petrol bombs at police lines.

They could also be seen taking wheelie bins from outside homes and lighting fires in them.

In Derry, police reported items having been set alight on the Ardmore Road.

The family of the victim Stephen Ogilvie said they were “disgusted” by the disorder.

In response to a second night of disorder, Benn told LBC Radio: “Thugs burning people out of their homes because of the colour of their skin.

“This is not what Northern Ireland is about.”

He added: “Most importantly, the family of Stephen Ogilvie, who was so brutally attacked on Monday night, have said that they don’t want to see this.”

Hadi Alodid (30) appeared in court on Wednesday, charged with attempted murder over Monday’s knife attack in which Ogilvie lost an eye.

The reaction to the incident saw mobs set homes, a bus and cars on fire in Belfast on Tuesday, with people targeted based on their race.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) appealed for assistance in identifying individuals in images connected to Tuesday night’s disorder.

The force also urged those in the pictures to come forward to police.

Benn told Times Radio the fast-track asylum scheme is no longer in operation, and asylum seekers are now “properly processed” in order for a decision to be made on whether they should be granted asylum.

A trade union secretary told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme she believes paramilitary groups were “undoubtedly” involved in the Belfast unrest.

Patricia McKeown, a regional secretary for Unison, said many workers across the region had received threats since Monday’s knife attack.

She told the broadcaster: “Yesterday evening a nurse with a different skin colour was chased into the Ulster Hospital by four masked men.”

McKeown said the nurse still insisted on working her shift, and alternative accommodation has since been found for her.

Leader of the DUP Gavin Robinson told the programme he believed there was “less” violence on Wednesday night than the previous evening.

Robinson said he was against people “abusing our hospitality” and more needed to be done in “protecting” borders into the UK.

The sister of murdered MP Jo Cox urged people not to “create chaos” as she condemned the racist and violent scenes in Northern Ireland.

Kim Leadbeater, a British MP, said she understood anger at Monday’s knife attack but appealed for people not to “riot and cause more trouble and more problems”.

Gregory Campbell, MP and Westminster spokesperson for the DUP on international development, has described recent events in Northern Ireland as “totally deplorable”.

“We have to hope and work towards whatever happened last night, which thankfully was less bad than the night before. We have to try and work towards a situation where tonight there’s none, and going forward there aren’t any either,” he told the Newstalk Breakfast with Anton Savage show, Vivienne Clarke reports.

“We have to look at this, we’ve got to try and get the position under control, and I think the police are doing a reasonably good job. And if we can try to see that finished both today and tomorrow and over the weekend, we can then address the fundamental problem, which is the virtually uncontrolled immigration, where we have an increasing population in the UK and we don’t have the services to provide for them.”

Campbell said a “hardening” of the Border was “utter nonsense”.

“There isn’t going to be a hardening of the Border, because there can’t be. If you have 300 crossing points on a land border, how on earth do you put in place installations or structures to control that,” he said.

“You couldn’t do it, and no one, hopefully, is suggesting that that’s the case. Campbell said the blame for how the Sudanese national involved in Tuesday night’s incident was able to travel from Dublin to Belfast lay with both the Irish and UK governments.

“There has to be a better way of analysing people who come from the Middle East and north African countries. For example, if people are leaving there, and I fully understand and completely empathise with why they’re leaving, for example, Sudan and other countries, but if they’re coming through the whole litany of safe countries, why are they coming to the UK?

“We’ve got to try to ensure that if people are fleeing countries, they go to the nearest safe country rather than travelling hundreds of miles.”

Matthew O’Toole, MLA for Belfast South, has told Newstalk’s Claire Byrne show of his work dealing with the aftermath of what he described as “effectively race riots and pogroms”.

“I had to move some of my constituents to safety just a couple of nights ago, so I have been dealing with the consequences of the reaction to all this,” he said.

“I don’t take any of this lightly, but it is also true to say that the existence of the Common Travel Area is a public good and has been sacrosanct for people from all political sides for a very long time.”

There was a legitimate conversation to be had about better information sharing and better processes because clearly there were two jurisdictions on the island, he said, Vivienne Clarke reports.

“I want us to retain the Common Travel Area, but yes, protect people and ensure that we have functioning information sharing.

“Migration and asylum systems needed to work better.”

Minority communities ‘being blamed for actions of one person’

Entire minority communities were being collectively blamed for the actions of one person, Derry’s former mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr has said. She said this was not justice but was racism, dangerous and deeply disturbing.

Such anti-immigrant actions needed to be called out, but some politicians were not prepared to call it that, Seenoi-Barr said.

They were using vague language such as community tensions, disorder, violence in the street, but not naming it what it was – racism, she told RTÉ Radio’s Today with David McCullagh show, Vivienne Clarke reports.

“It’s so disappointing and that needs to stop,” she said. “Our leaders need to show leadership, they need to stop using softened languages, they must speak with the one voice, stand with the communities being attacked and make it very clear racism, intimidation and far-right violence will not be tolerated in Northern Ireland.”

Seenoi-Barr, who is an SDLP councillor, was elected as mayor of Derry city and Strabane in 2024.

What was happening now in Belfast was similar to what had happened in Ballymena in 2024, she said, when events were “fuelled by a dangerous combination of fear, misinformation spreading online, racist scaremongering, far-right influence”.

This was indicative of a serious lack of leadership, she said.

“Our leaders have basically allowed a horrific crime to be exploited by people who want to divide our communities and it mirrors the other thing that is shocking, it’s the language that is being used here has been imported to Northern Ireland from other places.

“We see that such language being used in England, it’s being used in America and that is what is worrying us most. We also have to be very honest in Northern Ireland because the context here, there have been a long-standing concern about elements linked to loyalist paramilitary intimidation of minoritised communities, it is not new.

“This needs to be tackled and it needs to be taken seriously.”

Seenoi-Barr acknowledged there were legitimate concerns about the housing shortage in Northern Ireland, but the issue was not that there were too many immigrants.

“The problem is the failure of governments to implement anti-poverty strategy here in Northern Ireland. The problem is the government that has refused to invest in its own people.

“The problem is the government that has refused to build an infrastructure that can support people and get people out of poverty, not immigration. We don’t have enough people from minoritised communities here to cause such a big havoc in Northern Ireland. That’s the fact.”

Deputy First Minister: violence and thuggery has no place here

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP said the scenes on the streets of Belfast this week were “absolutely appalling”.

“It’s completely unacceptable. Violence and thuggery has no place anywhere here,” she said.

Everyone across Northern Ireland and beyond had been horrified when they saw the video of the horrific attack on Monday night, she told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland, Vivienne Clarke reports.

Little-Pengally said she understood people’s frustrations on immigration issues, but there was a minority of people who were determined to turn the issue into one that would spill over into “disorder, thuggery and violence. And that is absolutely wrong”.

“The vast majority of people here in Northern Ireland are appalled by disorder and violence,” she said.

“They are absolutely horrified by thuggery, regardless of where that comes from. So, of course, I think it’s incredibly important to have that strong and united leadership, political leadership, sending clear messages.

“Of course, people should remain calm. Peaceful protest is a right. People, of course, have that right to come out and to register frustration on any issue. But, of course, what is not right, what is completely unacceptable, is thuggery and violence. And we’ve been very clear about that. There will always be some elements that do not listen, that do not want to listen.

“In fact, I believe that they come out intent on trying to turn some of these otherwise peaceful protests into those types of disorder activities. And, of course, that’s very frightening for people in those parts of Northern Ireland. Again, it’s a small number of areas.”

It had been obvious from some of the audio clips of the violent incidents that there was “a strong aspect of that that is just simply racist”, she said.

“That has no part to play in Northern Ireland of 2026, never had any part to play.”

There were serious questions to be asked about vetting, she added, “about the immigration policy in the UK, the co-operation with the Irish Government, how those checks happen when people arrive into Dublin. Those are all questions that, of course, should be answered.”

At the moment people were frustrated, they wanted to be listened to, she said.

“There are bad actors out there that are willing to try to, of course, manipulate that. They are willing to try to use that to bring disorder and violence. That is wrong. I absolutely believe there is no space for violence or thuggery or racism. This has to be about politics working for people.”

‘Appalling racist attacks need to stop’ – Pearse Doherty

The “appalling racist attacks” in Belfast need to stop, Sinn Féin deputy leader Pearse Doherty has said.

Vivienne Clarke reports that he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland: “They have to stop and we need to see community leaders stepping up in relation to those communities.

“We know it’s isolated to predominantly loyalist areas but the scenes that we’re seeing where masked men are going door to door looking to see the colour of somebody’s skin is reminiscent of what happened in the late 60s when the same communities were going looking to see if people were Irish or Catholic and burning them out of their homes.

“It is simply unacceptable and we shouldn’t be looking and witnessing those scenes.”

The events highlighted once again the need for a bilateral arrangement with the British government in terms of migration, he said.

“What the Government unfortunately has done is they’ve put all their focus into implementing the EU Migration Pact which doesn’t take into account the fact that we are partitioned, that there’s another member state that is outside the European Union, that there is no official returns policy with Britain at this point in time.

“Let’s be very, very clear about that. That is a migration issue. That doesn’t take away in any way from what we’re seeing either in terms of the violent attempted murder or the racist attacks that have been happening and the excuses that have been used by people to involve themselves in wanton criminality over the last 48 hours.”

Peace Summit Partnership condemns racist attacks

The Peace Summit Partnership and Peace Guardians, a group of veteran peacemakers, have condemned the “horrendous incident” on Monday night that sparked this unrest.

“It was an appalling act, and our thoughts are entirely with the victim and their loved ones. We also condemn the racist attacks over the last two nights and stand in solidarity with the families who were violently forced out of their homes,” it said.

On behalf of the partnership, Tim Attwood said there was an urgent need for collective leadership, accountability and action to prevent further violence and appalling racist attacks.

“We must stand in solidarity with the family affected by violent attack on Monday and families left in fear after the racist attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday night,” he said.

“Today, we all have a responsibility to extend the hand of friendship and help those in need. We have a responsibility to remove the barriers of prejudice and fear that separate us.

“We must intensify our efforts to seek common ground, build bridges where there are walls of division and stand for justice. Words also matter, rather than promoting division we should be speaking a language of inclusion and generosity which respects difference and diversity.”

The Peace Summit Partnership is an initiative by the John and Pat Hume Foundation, Community Dialogue YouthAction NI, Holywell Trust, Incore (Ulster University), Integrated Education Fund, NI Youth Forum and the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation.

The PSNI has issued a statement saying it would like to speak with the people in these images in connection with serious public disorder in the Belfast area on Tuesday.

“If this is you, we are asking you to come forward to police now,” the statement said.

“Anyone who can assist in identifying this person, please contact police. If you have any information or wish to submit photos and footage, including CCTV, mobile phone or dash cam footage please contact police. Please do not comment on this post with information.”

A report can also be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/. You can also contact the PSNI on 101.

‘Immigrant families are frightened to go out’

A Belfast clergyman has called on politicians, community leaders and church leaders to send a message that immigrant families are welcome and are part of the community.

Rev Brian Anderson of the East Belfast Mission of the Newtownards Road told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland of arriving at his church on Tuesday evening to find a bus fully alight with young men in hoods covering their faces trying to barricade the road, Vivienne Clarke reports.

Anderson said he made efforts to stop them from barricading the road, but was unable to and they moved on to adjoining streets, where he saw cars and houses being set alight.

“What this has caused, fear, uncertainty. The immigrant families who live around the mission here are fearful of their lives, frightened to go out. I was with a family last night, a Romany family. There’s 23 of them living in a very small terrace house, frightened to go out.

“I arranged for accommodation for them last night, somewhere safe, but they were so frightened to come out of the house, they refused to go.

“There is an issue for us in Northern Ireland about integrating them into our culture and accepting their culture so that the two can sit together. So I think we want to rally around them. Then the bigger picture is trying to convince the Protestant community particularly that racism is not the way to solve this.

“If you have issues with immigration into Northern Ireland, then let’s deal with those, but you’ll not do it. You’ll not succeed. It’ll not do anything if you do it by violence.

“So we have a responsibility – politicians, community leaders, church leaders – to try and find forums whereby the anger and the angst can be expressed, but in a way that’s non-violent.

“So we need to try and get forums to involve those people. Young lads, in particular, that they see a future with their Muslim friends who they’re probably going to school with, who are probably sharing classes with them.”

12 police officers injured, 16 arrests in second night of unrest

Twelve police officers were injured and 16 arrests were made in the second night of unrest in Northern Ireland following the Belfast knife attack, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has said.

Rita Devlin of the Royal College of Nursing has told of efforts being made to ensure nursing staff at hospitals in Northern Ireland from the international community are supported.

Some of them were very frightened and afraid to come to work, she told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland, Vivienne Clarke reports.

“Now I have to say our trusts have been extremely good in terms of trying to organise getting staff into work and organising taxis and things for them, but you know there were some staff [who] couldn’t get home and had to stay and work,” she said.

Twenty-seven people have been made homeless as a result of the unrest, which broke out following protests over a knife attack that left a man seriously injured.

A Sudanese man, Hadi Alodid (30), was remanded in custody at Belfast magistrates’ court on Wednesday for four weeks after being charged with attempted murder in relation to Monday’s attack.

The family of Stephen Ogilvie, the victim, appealed for calm in a statement that stressed the “deeply valuable contribution” migrants make.

Anti-immigration protesters also staged a demonstration in Dublin on Wednesday afternoon, when a large crowd descended on Leinster House.

Protests also took place in Derry on Wednesday night, where police reported items having been set alight on the Ardmore Road.

Other protests, including at Stormont, took place peacefully.

Water cannons were deployed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on Wednesday to “maintain public order” during a second night of anti-immigration rioting in Belfast.

Masked protesters hurled bricks and missiles at riot police at the Sandyknowes roundabout in Newtownabbey on the outskirts of the city, where more than 200 people gathered before 8pm.

Two water cannon were fired after officers clashed with the crowd as fires were lit in the street.

PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher confirmed 200 extra officers were deployed to Belfast to deal with any further unrest on Wednesday.