Northern Ireland: Police use water cannons to suppress protests against uncontrolled immigration in Belfast

On the streets of Glengormley, north of Belfast, Northern Irish police had to resort on Wednesday to water cannons to disperse dozens of people protesting against the violence caused by uncontrolled immigration.

On Monday, Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese refugee, was charged with a brutal knife attack that left Stephen Ogilvie blind in one eye. On Tuesday and Wednesday, pent-up anger turned into protest. In total, more than 100 people gathered at various locations in Belfast, at times peacefully.

However, tensions ran high in the afternoon on a street in Glengormley, where a significant police presence had been deployed. Protesters threw bricks and glass bottles at police and set fire to at least one trash bin, according to authorities, who responded with water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Belfast center, meanwhile, remained free of violence, unlike on Tuesday.

"The government have turned their backs on the people"

The attack on Ogilvie prompted calls to protest from right-wing figures, such as activist Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk.

Robinson has posted a series of messages on social media criticizing the government of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The activist, known for his stances on immigration and national identity, wrote on X: "Britain is at breaking point and the government have turned their backs on the people."

Elon Musk even shared post by the activist calling for citizen protests: "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!"

Government blames "racism" and social media

Naomi Long, Northern Ireland’s home secretary, stated that the violence at the demonstrations is rooted in “racism” and criticized those who, through social media, have exploited and exaggerated the real fear people feel due to the events that have occurred.

Elon Musk responded on X forcefully: "Murderous migrants beheading innocent people in their home town is what’s making people angry, not 'social media'!"

On Wednesday night, police warned that sharing the addresses of foreign nationals on digital platforms could be considered a criminal offense. Police also announced the deployment of additional officers. Reinforcements from the rest of the United Kingdom are expected to arrive on Thursday.

Keir Starmer’s double standard

Meanwhile, in response to the riots in Belfast, Prime Minister Keir Starmer limited himself to describe the protests as "shocking" and "completely unacceptable," promising "the full force of the law" against the protesters; his reaction in 2020 to the violent protests in the U.S. over the death of George Floyd was notably different.

At that time, as leader of the opposition, Starmer went so far as to publicly kneel alongside Angela Rayner in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Furthermore, in a joint message sent to all Labour staff, Starmer and Rayner stated they were "shocked and angry" by Floyd’s death and said they had watched "in horror" as protesters exercising their right to protest “peacefully” were met with police force.