Belfast stabbing latest: Homes and cars set ablaze as protesters accused of ‘thuggery’ after knife attack

The Independent’s Political Correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Labor leader Anna Turley said we needed to ensure the Irish border “is not used as a back route for people to come here and abuse our asylum system”.

It comes after police released details of the arrested man’s immigration status and how he got to the UK, saying he entered Northern Ireland across the Irish border after flying from Paris to Dublin in February 2023.

Asked whether the government was considering how to control the border, Ms Turley said: Sky News: “Of course it’s a concern. You know, we wouldn’t want to see anyone of that nature being able to escape from safe countries or going through safe countries and coming into this country to cause the kind of action that they did. So I think it’s really important that we continue to work extremely hard to protect our borders and make sure that no one can abuse them.”

She said that “conversations are ongoing” over the issue, saying: “It’s been raised many times. I’ve heard it myself raised in Parliament, so I know it is a live discussion but it is quite sensitive. That common travel agreement has existed for 100 years. It’s important that people are able to travel freely between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.”

But Ms Turley added: “We must ensure this is not used as a back route for people to come here and abuse our asylum system.”

Jim Allister, leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, told people involved in the violence to “give up”

Speaking on Radio 4 today, he said: “They provide a wholesale change in narrative that takes the focus from where it should be and gives the government and others an excuse not to address the overload of migrants in these areas and not to address the open border that is the problem.”

The Independent’s Political Correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

The Labor leader has condemned plans for violent protests on social media in response to the stabbing attack in Belfast, saying it was “irresponsible” and “dangerous”.

One message, said to have spread throughout the night, urged men 18 and over to “wear dark clothing and be ready to fight or be arrested.”

Anna Turley told Times Radio: “I absolutely condemn this kind of message. It doesn’t solve anything… This kind of message is beyond irresponsible, it’s dangerous and it shouldn’t be happening. And I urge everyone to remain calm.”

Tech billionaire Elon Musk continued throughout the night to strengthen his calls for people to take to the streets in response to the incident.

Ms Turley said: “We have to acknowledge and see that social media is playing a role in driving this. And I think there are malicious actors sitting miles away. It’s easy for them to fuel this.”

Of Mr. Musk’s intervention, he said specifically: “He has a responsibility; everyone in public and civic life has a responsibility to call for calm and not to fuel grievance, hatred, division or tension that puts vulnerable people and our communities at risk.”

Ms Turley also noted the decline in net migration, saying the government was “recognizing that migration is a huge concern for people”.

The Independent’s Political Correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Labor leader Anna Turley appealed for calm on the streets of Belfast, saying it was “appalling” to see violent protests in response to the knife attack.

He told Sky News: “It was horrific to see. It must have been truly terrifying and truly frightening for all the families living in that community. Nobody wants to see that.”

“As others have done, I will be calling for calm on the streets of Belfast and across the country. These people are innocent. They should not be involved. “We have seen children and families being forced to flee their homes and no one wants to see that.

“We know that the situation last night was absolutely horrific, absolutely horrific and there is no place for that on the streets of the UK. But we must let the police and the justice system take their course now and no one should be inciting this or taking violence to the streets anywhere in the UK.”

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long said far-right online agitators who fueled racial tensions were responsible for the stabbing.

“Yesterday, we saw an influx of far-right commentators on social media who were clearly trying to escalate racial tensions by building on a narrative about immigration,” he said. BBC Breakfast.

He added that Pastor Jack McKee’s comments about people being targeted simply because they are black are correct.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Belfast on Tuesday and some vehicles were set on fire after police charged a Sudanese man over a stabbing attack that left one man with serious neck and head injuries.

While masked youths gathered at various points of the city, the police responded with armored vehicles. Protesters set fire to a number of vehicles, while houses on several streets, including a bus, caught fire in east Belfast.

Protests were also reported separately in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Southampton. Several dozen protesters blocked Parliament Square in London.

A man is due to appear in court charged with attempted murder over a knife attack following a night of violence in Belfast.

Some people were forced to flee their homes and many cars and houses were set on fire in the chaos that broke out on Tuesday following a stabbing attack in the north of the city on Monday.

The 30-year-old, who is from Sudan, is also accused of possessing a bladed or pointed object in a public place and threatening to kill.

He will appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court later on Wednesday.