A mob of protesters marched on an asylum hotel in Belfast on Wednesday night, the second evening of violent unrest in Northern Ireland, hours after a so-called ‘hit list’ of migrant homes was shared widely on social media.
Police deployed water cannon for the first time in the city in years as explosions were heard and rioters hurled petrol bombs at officers. The scenes mirrored the chaos of Tuesday night, when disturbances first broke out after a knife attack in the city. This time, the unrest was fuelled by a list circulating online that named properties believed to house asylum seekers and migrants.
“Second night of Belfast riots after ‘hit list’ of migrant homes shared online; police use water cannon.”
Officers in riot gear faced crowds in south Belfast, near a hotel used to accommodate people seeking protection. The police service said it had made several arrests and that the water cannon was used after “serious public disorder” escalated. The sound of blasts echoed across the area, though no injuries among officers or protesters were immediately confirmed.
In Londonderry, smaller disturbances were reported but at a lower level than the previous night. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was investigating the origins of the online list, which had prompted fears of further targeting of migrant accommodation.
The violence has placed renewed pressure on the UK government and local leaders to address the underlying tensions. Stormont politicians condemned the disorder, but calls for calm have so far failed to prevent fresh unrest. As night fell on Wednesday, police cordons remained in place around the asylum hotel, and extra officers were drafted in from across the region.
The ‘hit list’ posts, which named specific addresses of homes said to be housing migrants, were removed from some platforms but continued to circulate in encrypted messaging groups. Police urged the public not to share the information, warning it could incite further attacks.
The bouts of violence have drawn comparisons to previous periods of sectarian tension in Northern Ireland, though the motivations behind the current disorder are more complex, mixing anti-immigration sentiment with broader frustrations. The police chief appealed for calm, insisting that the authorities would not tolerate “vigilantism or mob rule.”
With the prospect of a third night of unrest looming, the focus now turns to whether political intervention can prevent the streets of Belfast from erupting again.