A stabbing attack in Northern Ireland carried out by a Sudanese man who had been granted refugee status has triggered violent protests in Belfast, with demonstrators setting vehicles and buildings on fire and blocking roads.
The assault occurred late on Monday night. Video footage shared online shows the Sudanese man pinning a bleeding male victim to the ground on a Belfast street and attempting to slash his neck with a knife. Bystanders intervened and subdued the attacker before police arrived and made an arrest. The victim, a man in his 40s, suffered serious wounds to his eye, face, and back and was hospitalised.
Police recovered a kitchen knife at the scene. The suspect, in his 30s, remains in custody. Authorities have classified the case as a major incident but have initially ruled out terrorism-related motives. The investigation into the cause of the attack is ongoing. According to reports, the suspect lived near the scene of the crime and holds a five‑year UK visa. He entered Dublin, the capital of Ireland, from Paris in 2023 before crossing into Belfast, Northern Ireland, and was granted refugee status.
The release of the attack video sparked public anger, particularly among anti‑immigration groups. On Tuesday, several hundred demonstrators took to the streets of Belfast. Some set fires — bins, houses, and police vehicles were torched, and a bus was burned down to its frame. Thick black smoke billowed across the city, causing transport disruption in multiple areas. The fury also spilled onto London streets, where dozens of protesters gathered on Tuesday, chanting anti‑immigration slogans and expressing anger toward the police.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incident as "repugnant" and stressed that "appalling acts of violence will not be tolerated on our streets." The leaders of Ireland's five main political parties issued a joint statement condemning the violence and calling for the public to stop sharing the attack video to avoid causing further distress to the victim's family. Authorities in Northern Ireland and police urged people not to inflame hatred or fear and not to target specific groups.
The incident comes at a highly sensitive time in the UK, following a previous case where a white student was attacked. Police initially accepted the attacker's false claim of racial discrimination and handcuffed the victim, who later died from his injuries.
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