• Clashes between anti-immigration rioters and anti-racism protesters escalated into widespread violence, resulting in deliberate attacks on ethnic-owned businesses and multiple arrests.
• A man in his 50s was assaulted and seriously injuredafter attackers stamped on his head in South Belfast on August 5, police are treating it as a hate crime.
Belfast witnessed a day of chaos and violence on Saturday, 3rdof August, as violent anti-immigration riots took place, leaving the city scarred and its residents shaken.
At around midday a crowd had gathered outside Belfast’s City Hall to listen to political speeches, including from trade unionist Mick Lynch. Union leader Mick Lynch asserted that society will not be divided by anti-immigrant sentiments. He told the crowds “We will not allow the right wing to dominate our working-class communities.” However, across the road, a handful of anti-immigrant rioters also began to assemble. Initially, the police managed to keep both sides apart while allowing traffic to flow freely between them. As the anti-migrant crowd grew larger, the police initiated a more significant operation.
Both sides began chanting and jeering at each other, with anti-racism protesters chanting “refugees welcome” while anti-immigration rioters shouted “Islam out” among other things and invoked the name of Tommy Robinson. Remarkably, the latter group held Irish tricolours and Union flags side by side – a rare sight in Northern Ireland.
The situation escalated further, and police donned riot gear as they were shoved by rioters. Officers were surprised by the size of the crowd, receiving reports of additional protesters converging from the south and east of the city. Fireworks and eggs were thrown at the peaceful demonstrators at City Hall, prompting police to use handheld camcorders to gather evidence.
Around 14:00, the anti-immigration protesters began marching towards the Islamic Centre in the south of the city. Despite warnings over a loudhailer that they were committing an offense due to the lack of notification for the parade, the mob continued. A significant police operation was mounted around the city’s mosque, ensuring the protesters could not get close to the building.
Instead of confronting the police lines, the mob turned onto Botanic Avenue, Belfast’s most multicultural street. With no visible police presence, they attacked businesses run by people of ethnic backgrounds.
Mohammed Idris, the owner of Bash Café in south Belfast, has decided not to reopen after his business was set on fire during violent protests. Disorder erupted following an anti-immigration protest in the city on Saturday.
Idris said that his businesses have been targeted before, with his shop on Sandy Row attacked last year. “My computer shop was completely damaged just like this café. This café was a hope, a place for a community – there is no hope here now,” he said.
Recalling the night his café was attacked, Idris said a group “shouted my name, ‘Where is Mohammed?’, then they smashed all windows on the ground floor.” The worst came overnight when his business was set ablaze. “For me it’s not easy – it is so difficult when they know your name. It’s scary – my life threatened. A group of people coming – shouting my name, just people who came from different areas,” he added.
A supermarket manager in Belfast (Bashir) said his business had been reduced to “ashes” after it was also targeted during the violent protests. Bashir reported that police officers advised him to close his Donegall Road business on Saturday afternoon. Around midnight, a friend informed him that his shop was on fire.
Bashir returned to find the premises “like a disaster.” He waited more than three hours before entering the shop, stating, “Not a single thing [could be saved], nothing. [There was] water coming from the roof, all the groceries were gone, I mean everything. I was like: ‘Should I cry or should I laugh?'”
This is the third time Sham Supermarket has been targeted. Bashir criticized the police response, saying “nothing” has been done to protect them. “If the police would do something they would do it from the first time when this shop has been burned,” he added.
Bashir also questioned why Muslim businesses were being deliberately targeted and criticised the police for their handling of the violence. He noted the significant role of social media in the weekend riots, saying, “I believe those people are brainwashed… somebody is giving them instructions to do all of that, suddenly it was all planned over in England, not only in Belfast.”
The mob then moved towards the university area, attacking three hotels, smashing windows, and threatening journalists. As police sirens echoed, officers scrambled to respond. The crowd began to thin, but another flashpoint loomed on the lower Ormeau Road, a predominantly nationalist area. Local residents emerged to chase the racist mob away, prompting riot police to form a line between the two groups and push the mob back.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) reported 13 cases of criminal damage and five of arson, some treated as hate crimes. Three police officers were injured, with one suffering a concussion. Four people were arrested, charged, and appeared in court on Monday. Rioters continued to clash with police on Monday night, with footage showing petrol bombs and missiles being thrown.
The four people who have been charged have been named as Gary Creighton, Michael John Coulter, Bernard Lavery and Simeon Eric McCullough.
A man in his 50s was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after being attacked during the second night of riots in South Belfast. Witnesses reported seeing the attackers stamp on his head in the Donegall Road and Oban Street area on August 5. The police are treating the assault as a hate crime, and the man’s condition is described as serious.
Belfast was one of several UK cities experiencing anti-immigration riots over the weekend. The far-right groups responsible have repeatedly clashed with police and counter-protesters, causing extensive damage and looting.
Belfast, and the wider UK, continues to grapple with the fallout from these riots, highlighting deep-seated tensions within communities.
