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Northern Ireland
Bus set alight and buildings evacuated in Belfast as anti-immigration protests continue
All bus and train services have been suspended, Translink said.
LAST UPDATE | 9 Jun
SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE have gathered at a number of locations across Belfast this evening following calls on social media for anti-immigration protests in the wake of a serious knife attack in the city.
Crowds have assembled at sites including the Newtownards Road, the Crumlin Road roundabout and the Royal Victoria Hospital, while a number of shops and restaurants have closed early.
Many of this group are young, some are masked or wearing balaclavas.
Several bins have been set alight, and a stopped Glider bus also caught fire on the Newtownards Road. It has since been extinguished by firefighters.
Homes and businesses have also been attacked by groups of masked young men. Some have been set on fire.
Residents were earlier removed from houses which caught fire in Lendrick Street in east Belfast.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service officers attended the scene.
Cars were also set ablaze at Bute Park in the Ballybeen area of Dundonald.
A spokesperson for Translink, which operates public transport services in Northern Ireland, said all bus and train services have been suspended for the rest of the night.
“We intend to resume services as normal tomorrow morning. Passengers are advised to check Translink’s socials for up to date travel information,” they said.
🚨 BREAKING: A bus has been set on fire in Belfast amid protests over the attempted beheading of a man pic.twitter.com/FX8maCMalK
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 9, 2026
Police had appealed for calm and urged anyone attending demonstrations to remain peaceful.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said that “sporadic pockets of disorder” have broken out in a number of locations across Northern Ireland this evening.
“Officers are on the ground, working alongside partner agencies, responding to incidents as they arise and helping to keep people safe,” Henderson said.
“We are again appealing for calm and ask all voices of influence within local communities to encourage peaceful protest and discourage any involvement in violence or disorder.”
The protests follow a knife attack in Belfast overnight in which a man in his 40s suffered serious injuries, including wounds to his eye, face and back.
A 30-year-old Sudanese man has since been charged with attempted murder and is due to appear before court on Wednesday. Police have said they are not seeking anyone else in connection with the investigation.
The victim remains in a serious condition in hospital.
The nationality of the accused, and the fact that he had leave to remain in the UK after travelling to Northern Ireland from Dublin, prompted calls from anti-immigration campaigners and politicians in Britain and Ireland for demonstrations this evening.
Messages circulated on social media earlier today encouraging men aged 18 and over to wear dark clothing “and be prepared to fight or be arrested”, along with lists of streets reportedly showing where roads would be closed tonight.
Far-right politicians and personalities from the UK, Ireland and elsewhere also encouraged people to take to the streets.
Outside of Ireland, protests have also begun in England and Scotland.
The attack
Footage of the attack seen by The Journal shows a man on top of another man with a knife to his throat.
The man can be seen raising his hand and shouting something towards onlookers.
Another member of the public later intervenes with a hurley stick in an attempt to stop the attack, and two others then also try to stop the attack. PSNI officers can then be seen intervening.
At a press conference this afternoon, Henderson told reporters: “At this stage, we have no information to suggest that this was a terrorist-related incident.
“However, I must stress, I must stress, we are still at the early stages of our investigation.”
He said that the PSNI will keep an “open mind” around the motivation for the attack.
A kitchen knife was recovered from the scene, Henderson said.
Police initially said they believed the suspect in custody was from Somalia but later clarified that he is Sudanese. He also revealed that the suspect lived close to where the attack happened.
Commenting on the immigration status of the suspect, Henderson said the PSNI understood he had leave to remain in the UK.
He said it was understood the man had entered the UK across the Irish border, having travelled from Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.
The UK’s Home Office also confirmed this afternoon that the suspect is a Sudanese national with leave to remain in the UK until 2028.
The Home Office said the suspect had entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status the same year, adding that the individual claims to have entered the UK via the Common Travel Area.
‘Cool heads’
Northern Ireland’s first minister Michelle O’Neill appealed for calm in a statement on social media this evening and condemned the violent protests, labelling them as “outright thuggery”.
“Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” O’Neill said.
“This has nothing to do with community.”
She added: “There are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people who are simply trying to live, work and raise their families here.
“Racism, intimidation and violence are wrong wherever they occur.”
Justice minister Naomi Long said “hate cannot be allowed” to win.
“Earlier today, I stood beside the First Minister, deputy First Minister and the PSNI Chief Constable and we appealed for calm,” she said.
“It is simply disingenuous to claim this is being carried out for the good of Northern Ireland,” she added.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly also appealed for calm.
In a social media post, Little-Pengelly said: “I know all are horrified about what has happened. I know so many are angry and there are those who want to register a protest.
“This is an appeal to act in an entirely peaceful way. Violence does not advance any cause, it damages it.
“Destroying things within your own community benefits no one.
“Engaging in violence risks your own safety, that of others and fundamentally does any cause or campaign to be heard terrible disservice and damage.”
Henderson meanwhile said the PSNI is “aware of a number of social media posts calling for protest”.
The posts also call for businesses to close in advance of the protests.
Northern Ireland’s Driver and Vehicle Agency has rescheduled driver a vehicle tests that were due to take place after 5pm today “due to planned protests and anticipated road closures this evening”.
“We continue to monitor that situation accordingly,” said Henderson.
“I understand that last night’s attempted murder will leave people feeling a range of emotions from fear to anger.
But he said there should be no repeat of disorder previously seen in the city.
“No one needs to see a repeat of this. This only causes damage to the community, and unfortunately, young people often get caught up in that disorder, so I appeal for calm and the safety of all of our communities in response to this.
“All of our focus must be on a criminal justice investigation.”
He added: “We are very experienced at being able to facilitate protest in a peaceful way and let people have their voice heard.
“If there are protests, we very much hope that they will be in that way.”
Henderson said he has “some concerns” after recent violence seen across Northern Ireland.
“People have a right to have their voice heard, if that’s done in a violent way, all that does is damage communities and drag young people into it.”
He said officers across Northern Ireland are “patrolling in a reassuring way” and will be there in “sufficient numbers” this evening.
He added that the PSNI has received offers of support from other police forces across the UK.
The Chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, has also called for calm.
“There is understandable anger and frustration in the community,” said Kelly, “but that shouldn’t lead to any unrest or disruptive action on our streets.
“This is a time for calm and cool heads to prevail and not sudden reactive action that could cause fear, disorder and unrest.”
Additional reporting by Andrew Walsh and David MacRedmond
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