Second consecutive night of serious clashes and violence in Northern Ireland. Police were forced to use water cannons to control masked groups.
The clashes moved to the outskirts of Belfast. About 200 people gathered in the area of the Sandyknowes roundabout in County Antrim, about 11 km from the city center.
The demonstrators shot fireworks, threw stones, bricks and other homemade “projectiles“ along the lines of police armoured cars. New arson attacks: Protesters set fire to an abandoned building (a bungalow) near a local petrol station, pushed a burning van towards the police cordon and set fire to rubbish bins.
A BBC crew was attacked by a group of masked men while covering events in the Sundinowis area. Their car windows were smashed with large stones, but the journalists managed to escape unharmed.
Massive anti-immigrant riots have escalated in Northern Ireland, mainly concentrated in the capital Belfast, after a local resident was brutally attacked with a knife by a refugee.
40-year-old local resident Stephen Ogilvie was seriously injured with a knife in a residential area of Belfast. The victim is in hospital in a critical condition with serious injuries to his face, eyes and back.
The attacker is 30-year-old Sudanese asylum seeker Hadi Alodid. The court has already imposed a four-week remand order on him on charges of attempted murder.
During the protests, masked groups set fire to containers, threw objects at law enforcement and attacked buildings inhabited by foreigners. Dozens of cars, city buses and houses were set on fire.
More than 60 incidents were recorded, with the most serious clashes in the poorer Protestant neighborhoods of Belfast. Other sites were also attacked outside the capital, including a Turkish barber shop in the town of Ballyclare.
The center of Belfast remains deserted and ghostly. Police evacuated some African families for security reasons, while many other migrants voluntarily left their homes to seek temporary shelter with friends.
Northern Ireland Police Chief John Butcher urged citizens to stop succumbing to online incitement from people who do not know the region's history. He promised strict prosecution of the organizers.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the violence as “totally unacceptable” and shocking.
British authorities have accused billionaire Elon Musk of inciting division in society after he actively promoted calls for mass street demonstrations on his X platform.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria (MFA) advises Bulgarian citizens in Northern Ireland or planning a trip to Belfast to avoid places with mass gatherings of people, to monitor local news and to strictly follow police instructions.
The escalation of anti-immigrant sentiment in Belfast is also causing serious concern among the Bulgarian community in Northern Ireland. Although the protests are mainly directed against asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa, the general xenophobic wave affects the security of all foreign workers and students in the region, including Bulgarians.
The situation in Belfast is being monitored with increased attention by EU partners, including Bulgaria, as the security of European citizens and stability in Northern Ireland are key to bilateral relations with London after Brexit.“