A 44-year-old man has lost his left eye after being stabbed in north Belfast – an attack that has ignited a wave of racist violence across the city, prompting his own family to plead with rioters to stop.
Stephen Ogilvie was set upon at 10.30pm on Monday along Kinnaird Avenue, a residential road where bystanders armed with a hurley stick – a long wooden implement from the Irish sport of hurling – ran to intervene. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said officers were dispatched to the scene and the victim was rushed to hospital. On Wednesday, a detective told a Belfast court that Mr Ogilvie had lost his left eye as a result of the attack.
“Belfast stabbing victim Stephen Ogilvie lost his left eye; family condemns racist riots that followed.”
Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese man, has been charged with attempted murder, possessing a bladed article and making threats to kill. He appeared in court on Wednesday.
But within hours, far-right activists seized on the attack. Graphic footage of the stabbing was shared widely on social media platforms including X. Rupert Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth and leader of Restore Britain, tweeted “millions must go” alongside a picture of the assault – a post that was then reshared by Elon Musk. Calls for “invaders” to be removed spread online, liked and viewed thousands of times.
By Tuesday evening, masked men carrying bottles and bricks had flooded the streets. Hundreds set bins on fire, kicked doors and set a Middle Eastern supermarket ablaze. Thick black smoke rose over the Newtownards Road and Ligoniel Road areas. On Lendrick Street, an African family who had lived in their home for more than 20 years were forced to flee after their windows were smashed; a two-month-old baby was rescued during the violence, according to the chief constable of the PSNI. A small boy ran from his house as it was engulfed by flames.
Aimée Walsh, a columnist and deputy editor at the Mirror, wrote: “Families, just trying to get by like you and I, were burnt out of their homes across Belfast last night. This is not the Belfast I know and I love. These racist attacks are not representative of my home. But it only takes a minority – a very, very small segment of society – to tear apart what Belfast has fought so hard to maintain: peace.”
Brian Kingston, the MLA for Belfast North, urged the public not to join street protests after the stabbing.
Now the victim’s own family has spoken out. In a statement reported by The Independent, they called for the racist riots to stop, urging people not to use the attack as a pretext for violence. The family’s plea came as child psychologists advised parents to talk openly with children about the unrest, with counsellor Nicole Green of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy saying: “When children see upsetting things on the news, such as riots, violence, or unrest, it can feel confusing, scary, and a lot to take in.”
The question of how Belfast – a city that last year saw people gather to protect mosques from thugs – can prevent a violent minority from destroying its hard-won peace remains unanswered.