Belfast stabbing leads to burning by violent rioters in Belfast (Photo courtesy of AFP, AP, and Reuters)
News of the Belfast stabbing spread across Ireland like wildfire, as protests turned into retaliatory riots. It all started when a 3o-year-old Sudanese man stabbed 44-year-old Stephen Ogilvie in Belfast on Monday night.
Native residents of Belfast are now directing their anger towards immigrants in the area. Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese seeking asylum in Ireland, stabbed Ogilvie on the night of Monday, 8th June 2026. The unfortunate attack took place in the vicinity of Kinnaird Avenue.
The Fate of Stephen Ogilvie following the Stabbing
It is not yet clear why Alodid attacked Ogilvie, but it is said that he had threatened him. Ogilvie survived the attack and the Sudanese is now in police custody
Unfortunately, Ogilvie has lost vision in one eye. According to his family, he is in the hospital hoping to heal from other cuts he sustained on his face and back.
The aftermath of the Monday Belfast Stabbing
Following the Monday night stabbing, residents of Belfast took to the streets to protest. On Tuesday, the protests escalated into violent riots, mainly targeting people of color.
People have complained of rioters burning houses thought to belong to immigrants.
The effect of the Belfast stabbing is no longer confined to the Kinnaird Avenue area. It has spread to different places, including Antrim and Newtown Abbey. It is also felt in Ballymena. Apparently, the violent rioting is not spontaneous. Rioters have been meeting in these places to plan the attacks.
These Belfast rioters did not spare cars. At one point they identified an area with several immigrants and set cars and houses on fire. One of the areas they targeted for the racial attacks was Lendrick Street. This location is dominated by immigrants, including many from Congo.
UK Leaders Condemn the Violent Attacks
The situation in Belfast has become so serious that it has drawn the attention of the British Parliament. Elected leaders have condemned the riots, while at the same time condemning the Monday night knife attack that triggered them.
Over 200 people gathered close to the Newtownards Road on the evening of Tuesday, and soon they were causing mayhem. They wore masks as they lit bins on the road. Some rioters even burnt a police vehicle in Portadown.
Riots in Belfast have become a common sight since the Monday Kinnaird Avenue stabbing. Racial attacks are being directed at people who had nothing to do with the Ogilvie attack.
For instance, on Wednesday night, some rioters burnt a house that belonged to a man in his 30s. According to the man, the house has been his home for the last 10 years.
Some of those racially motivated attacks, veiled as revenge for the Monday night stabbing, were well coordinated. It is said the attackers identified roughly 25 addresses within the central and southern parts of Belfast for destruction. They destroyed the properties in different ways, including arson.
It is said that they identified their target properties and schemed their attacks on social media.
It is unfortunate how racial attacks, or simply hate attacks, seem to be spreading in different parts of the world. Currently, South Africa is dealing with the problem of Xenophobia, with foreign Africans leaving the country en masse.
Hopefully, residents of Belfast will heed the Prime Minister’s call to maintain calm and shun racially motivated attacks.