Thousands of people gathered in Belfast on Saturday for an anti-racism demonstration, days after anti-immigrant rioting left homes and vehicles burned in the wake of a stabbing case linked to an asylum seeker.
The rally followed several nights of unrest across parts of Northern Ireland after police charged a 30-year-old Sudanese man with attempted murder in connection with a stabbing that left another man partially blind.
What began as protests escalated into violence as masked groups targeted properties they believed were occupied by immigrants. Several homes were set ablaze, a bus was torched, and police came under attack from bricks, bottles and firebombs. Officials condemned the disorder as “thuggery.” More than two dozen people were displaced, and 12 police officers were injured.
Outside Belfast City Hall, demonstrators gathered peacefully to reject the violence and the anti-immigrant sentiment behind it. Many held signs reading, “The problem is evil & violence not race,” “Your racism is not patriotism” and “Protect people not prejudice.”
Addressing the crowd, Elaine Crory said the unrest showed how quickly racism can resurface. “All it takes is for one person who’s not white and local to commit a crime and that fire of racism is rekindled,” she said.
Among those in attendance were newlyweds Cara Bell and Matthew Richardson, who had just been married at City Hall. They described it as a striking coincidence that they emerged from their ceremony and joined a peaceful show of solidarity after witnessing the disturbing violence earlier in the week.
“It’s important to note that things like today really show that this is not the general feeling of people in Belfast,” Bell said, noting it was “a week where you’ve seen the worst of humanity and the best of humanity in Belfast.”
Despite calls for calm by officials and the family of the victim, far-right and anti-immigrant figures were blamed for whipping up protests in several place across the U.K. earlier in the week.
Disorder in Glasgow, Scotland, targeted minorities and terrified worshippers at a mosque went into lockdown, police said.
On Saturday, an anti-racism group rallied thousands to reclaim Glasgow streets and “stand up to the far right.”
The group was met by a much smaller contingent of mostly men who appeared to make Nazi salutes and shouted anti-Muslim chants.
The anti-racism group shouted, “Nazi scum off our streets.”
