Stephen Ogilvy lies in a hospital bed, having lost his left eye in a knife attack that has triggered two nights of violent disorder across Belfast and beyond. The 40-year-old Scottish man remains in a serious condition with injuries to his face, neck and back, Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard. His suspected attacker, 30-year-old Sudanese asylum seeker Hadi Alodid, has been remanded in custody for four weeks after being charged with attempted murder, threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife.
Hours after the stabbing on Monday evening, crowds of masked men took to the streets of Belfast, burning vehicles and homes, smashing windows and chanting “foreigners out”. Videos show shops and houses attacked, bins and buses set on fire. The violence spread to other parts of Northern Ireland, including Portadown, and on Wednesday night rioters in balaclavas pelted police with bricks and petrol bombs in Co Antrim. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson of the Police Service of Northern Ireland described the scenes as “disorder”, urging the public to “remain calm, act responsibly, and avoid any activity that could place themselves or others at risk”. Firefighters attended multiple property fires across the city, and a two-month-old baby needed rescue, a pensioner with dementia was hospitalised, and families who had lived in Belfast for decades were driven from their homes.
“Stephen Ogilvy lost his left eye in a knife attack; his family appealed for calm as far-right riots engulfed Belfast.”
The unrest was fuelled by far-right agitators abroad. On X, Elon Musk shared lists of protest locations also posted by Tommy Robinson, and retweeted Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe’s post saying “millions must go” with a screengrab of the knife attack footage. The journalist and historian Brian Feeney described the loyalist groups involved as “small in numbers”, noting that “all political leaders have condemned it”. Northern Ireland has fewer immigrants and asylum seekers than almost any part of the UK, yet Muslims, Hindus and Ukrainians all became victims in attacks concentrated in Protestant districts – a sign, according to some observers, that traditional anti-Catholic sectarianism is mutating into anti-migrant racism.
Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long, also leader of the Alliance Party, said: “Belfast residents targeted because of the colour of their skin.” But it was the victim’s own family who delivered the most powerful message. Speaking from Stephen Ogilvy’s bedside, the Ogilvies pleaded for calm, describing migrants who help keep hospitals running and the economy moving. “This violence is not welcome,” they said, urging the city not to turn their tragedy into a pretext for hatred. As police brace for more unrest, one family has shown Belfast the way forward. The question is whether the city will follow.