Arab community voices alarm over anti-migrant incidents in Belfast

An organization representing Arabs in the UK has voiced concern over a recent surge of anti-immigrant violence in Northern Ireland earlier this week.

Hundreds of masked rioters burned families out of their homes and torched cars in Belfast on Tuesday and Wednesday following a stabbing attack believed to have been carried out by a Sudanese refugee, News.Az reports, citing The New Arab.

The violence was stoked by far-right activists, who called for protests after a graphic video of the attack was shared widely on social media.

The police on Wednesday charged Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, with the attempted murder of Stephen Olgivie, a 44-year-old man who was hospitalised with serious injuries.

In a statement on Friday, the Arab Community Conference in Britain expressed solidarity with the people of Northern Ireland following the "deeply troubling" events.

"We unreservedly condemn the horrific attack on Stephen Ogilvie; a vicious act of violence that has no justification, no rationale, and no place in our society," it said.

It continued: "We are equally alarmed and saddened by the riots that followed. The targeting of the homes and livelihoods of hard-working immigrant families, many of whom have spent years building lives, raising children, and contributing to the prosperity and security of Northern Ireland, is unjust, senseless and self-defeating."

The attackers targeted African and Middle Eastern-owned businesses and shared an online "hit list" of flats believed to be inhabited by immigrants. Families were chased out of their homes as rioters set fire to buildings.

The violence was widely condemned by politicians and community leaders, who warned that the far-right had sought to use the attack to incite hatred against minority communities.

The footage of the stabbing was posted on X on Monday night by anti-Islam activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – better known by his alias Tommy Robinson – and was quickly amplified by Elon Musk and other large far-right accounts.

The news quickly attracted thousands more posts, with social media users sharing racist memes, demanding mass deportations and calling for anti-migrant protests.

Communications regulator Ofcom said some of the violence "appears to have been incited online", including "racially motivated incidents of violence, arson attacks on homes and vehicles, and attacks against police".

The police have arrested 19 people, including a 16-year-old boy, in relation to the violence.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli