By AFP, AP and ReutersPublished On 10 Jun 202610 Jun 2026Anti-immigrant protesters in the city of Belfast in the United Kingdom have torched vehicles and buildings after a Sudanese man was arrested over a knife attack that left one person with serious injuries.Hundreds of protesters, many of them masked, gathered at several locations across the city on Tuesday, setting fire to a bus and several cars.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listA building near the city centre was also set alight, with residents telling the AFP news agency that the protesters started a fire in the bins and went on to throw petrol bombs.Crowds also gathered in Antrim, about 25km (15 miles) west of Belfast.Michelle O’Neill, the first minister of Northern Ireland, slammed the protests and urged calm.“Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she wrote on X.“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”.Appeals for calmThe suspect in the knife attack, which took place in north Belfast late on Monday, was charged late on Tuesday with attempted murder, possession of a bladed weapon in a public place, and making threats to kill.The 30-year-old man, whose name has not been released, is due to appear in court on Wednesday.The victim, a man in his 40s, suffered significant injuries to his eyes and slash wounds to his face and back during the attack with a kitchen knife found at the scene, police said. Advertisement “I understand that last night’s attempted murder will leave people feeling a range of emotions, from fear to anger,” Northern Ireland’s Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson …
