Belfast stabbing unrest: residents evacuated as homes burn during violent protests
Homes and cars were set on fire across Belfast on Tuesday evening after hundreds of protesters took to the streets in response to Monday night’s stabbing attack in the city.
Residents had to be evacuated from burning houses in east Belfast as a crowd kicked in doors and broke windows of nearby homes, according to the BBC.
Before the protests, police stated that a 30-year-old Sudanese man had been charged with attempted murder over the stabbing attack.
He is scheduled to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court later on Wednesday.
Despite appeals for calm from police and political leaders, anti-immigration demonstrations in Belfast turned violent on Tuesday night.
A Glider bus was set on fire in east Belfast, leading to the suspension of all bus and train services. In Lendrick Street in Belfast, several cars were set on fire, and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service officers had to evacuate some residents from houses after they caught fire.
A number of houses and vehicles were set on fire near the Ligoniel Road area of Belfast, and a police car was set on fire in Portadown.
Northern Ireland secretary Hillary Benn said people were “rightly shocked” by the attack but condemned the “thuggery” that he said was “putting innocent lives at risk”.
Politics Editor
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