Homes and vehicles set on fire as violent disorder erupts across Belfast following knife attack
Houses and vehicles were set alight last night in Belfast after violent disorder broke out following demonstrations in response to Monday night’s stabbing attack.
Multiple homes across the city were set ablaze, with firefighters battling to get the flames under control.
Disorder broke out following a shocking knife attack in the city on Monday night.
A man arrested on suspicion of the attack has been charged with attempted murder.
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The 30-year-old accused, who is Sudanese, is also charged with possession of an article with a blade or point in a public place and making threats to kill and is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday 10 June).
The victim, a man in his 40s, remained in a serious condition in hospital on Tuesday where he is receiving treatment for serious eye, face and back injuries.
A video shared online showed a number of people, including one heroic dad wielding a hurling stick, confronting the attacker until police arrived.
In the wake of the attack, protestors went out onto the streets of Belfast but things later turned violent.
Shocking images from Lendrick Street showed a number of properties and vehicles on fire, with police and fire crews at the scene.
"Cars were set alight on the road, which caught fire to my house but masked men were bashing down doors," a man who lived on the street told The Mirror.
A bus was also set on fire in the city, while protestors were seen throwing objects, including traffic cones, at police.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said in a statement it had responded to 62 incidents on Tuesday evening.
"The majority of these incidents were in the Greater Belfast Area where an additional 21 fire appliances from across Northern Ireland were required to meet demand," the NIFRS said.
Police and political figures have called for calm
Police and political leaders have called for calm, with Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill describing the violent scenes as ‘outright thuggery’.
“Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she wrote on X.
“This has nothing to do with community.
“This is outright thuggery.
“The attack in North Belfast was heinous and wrong. But there are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people who are simply trying to live, work and raise their families here.
“Racism, intimidation and violence are wrong wherever they occur. There can be no excuse and no justification for these attacks tonight.
“No one wants to see this on our streets and I again appeal for calm.”
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said: “Sporadic pockets of disorder have broken out in a number of locations across Northern Ireland this evening, including incidents in which a number of vehicles have been set on fire.
“We are urging everyone to remain calm, act responsibly, and avoid any activity that could place themselves or others at risk.
“Officers are on the ground, working alongside partner agencies, responding to incidents as they arise and helping to keep people safe.
“We are again appealing for calm and ask all voices of influence within local communities to encourage peaceful protest and discourage any involvement in violence or disorder.”
Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long said some people had ignored calls for calm.
She said: “They are intent on wreaking destruction on the very communities they claim they are trying to protect.
“They are weaponising the genuine hurt, concern and anger that people are feeling for their own misguided purposes.
“There is no place for masked thugs to take to the streets and threaten, intimidate, disrupt and cause wanton damage – it is simply disingenuous to claim this is being carried out for the good of Northern Ireland.”
She added: “I would appeal once again to communities not to allow themselves to be used and abused in this manner.
“Disorder on the streets, such as we are seeing tonight, is diverting valuable police resources away from those who genuinely need them.
“These are not the actions of people who genuinely care about their communities.
“While I recognise and understand the concerns following on from the attack in north Belfast, hate cannot be allowed to win.”
Claire Reid