Masked rioters clashed with police in Belfast for a second consecutive night on Wednesday, June 10, as the Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed that a “hit list” of homes belonging to foreign nationals had been circulated among those involved in the disorder. The violence follows a knife attack on Monday allegedly carried out by a Sudanese asylum seeker that left a man seriously injured and without his left eye.
The PSNI said it had been contacted by several “extremely distressed” families whose addresses appeared on the list. The service warned that anyone sharing the document “may be committing a criminal offence,” according to The Daily Telegraph.
On Tuesday night, the first wave of rioting saw hundreds of masked men torch homes and vehicles belonging mostly to ethnic minority residents across Belfast. Men filmed kicking in doors and smashing windows told bystanders they were “getting foreigners out,” Middle East Eye reported.
Wednesday night’s disorder centred on a hotel in northern Belfast reported to be housing migrants. Footage showed police officers deploying a water cannon and firing plastic bullets at rioters, who tore bricks from nearby properties to hurl at officers and buildings. Others set wheelie bins alight and attempted to set an abandoned building on fire.
Rioters also erected makeshift roadblocks using street furniture at several points across the city. Men were filmed peering into passing cars before deciding whether to allow them through — a tactic widely reported as targeting non-white drivers.
The attack that ignited the unrest involved Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old man who had been granted indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. He allegedly attacked a man named Stephen Ogilvie on a residential street with a knife. Alodid appeared in a Belfast court via video link on Wednesday, where he was charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody, according to NPR. The court was told Ogilvie lost his left eye and sustained damage to his right.
Ogilvie’s family issued a statement on Wednesday asking that the attack not be used to incite further violence. “We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector, and we depend on them to make our country work,” the family said. “Overnight unrest is not welcome.”
A Middle Eastern supermarket was set on fire during Tuesday’s riots. Local pastor Jack McGee told the BBC that residents had been forced from their homes “because they’re black.”
Spread Beyond Belfast
The disorder was not confined to Northern Ireland’s capital. In Glasgow, Scotland, approximately 300 masked men marched through streets on Tuesday night and attacked passers-by, the BBC reported. Muslim worshippers at Glasgow’s Central Mosque had to be locked inside the building by police as men surrounded it, The Times reported.
Anti-migrant protests also spread to other parts of the United Kingdom on Tuesday, though Belfast remained the focal point of the most serious violence.
Political Reaction
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the disorder in Belfast “shocking and completely unacceptable” on Wednesday morning, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Michelle O’Neill, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, was more direct. “Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she said. “This has nothing to do with community. This is outright thuggery.”
Jon Boutcher, the Chief Constable of the PSNI, pointed to the role of online platforms in accelerating the violence. “The challenge we face with today’s online toxic nature is that people are incited by people who are faceless and know nothing about this brilliant, vibrant place,” he said, according to the Wikipedia summary of the 2026 Northern Ireland riots.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney blamed “the Nigel Farages of the world” for stoking tensions, The Times reported.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski described the events as part of a wider pattern. “What we are witnessing in Belfast is not an isolated incident — it is part of a coordinated far-right pattern playing out across these islands,” he said. “We will not allow racism and fascism to be normalised on any of our streets.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage took a different position. Speaking on Wednesday, he said “things kicked off in Belfast last night in a very big way, and things will continue to kick off.” He added that “the vast majority are fearful” and want action to make streets safer, while acknowledging that “some very bad actors” were also involved.
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson — whose legal name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — and Elon Musk, the owner of the social platform X, both urged people to protest hours before the first night of rioting broke out on Tuesday. Musk posted on X: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!” On Wednesday, as the second night of violence unfolded, Musk posted again, characterising the unrest as a public response to violent crime by migrants. Politico reported that Labour condemned Musk’s comments as “appalling.”
Background
Northern Ireland has experienced periodic outbreaks of community disorder throughout its recent history, though the current unrest is distinct in targeting ethnic minority and migrant communities rather than arising from sectarian tensions between Protestant and Catholic communities. The UK has faced sustained political debate over asylum and immigration policy for several years. Anti-migrant riots also erupted in the Northern Irish town of Ballymena in June 2025 following an alleged sexual assault, resulting in petrol bombs, water cannon deployments, and multiple arrests, according to Al Jazeera and the Associated Press. The knife attack attributed to Alodid on Monday drew rapid condemnation from political leaders across the spectrum, including a joint statement from the Stormont leaders of Sinn Féin, the Democratic Unionist Party, the Ulster Unionist Party, the Alliance Party, and the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
What Happens Next
Alodid has been remanded in custody and his case is expected to proceed through the courts. The PSNI has stated it is treating the circulation of the hit list as a potential criminal offence and investigations are ongoing. Political leaders in both Belfast and London have called for calm, though no formal emergency security measures had been publicly announced as of Wednesday evening. The British government, through Prime Minister Starmer, has indicated it will address the disorder, though no specific legislative or policing responses had been confirmed by Wednesday night.
