Belfast stabbing victim's family pleads for calm as rioting spreads across city

The family of a man left fighting for his life after a knife attack in Belfast has issued a desperate plea for an end to the violence, saying they do not want the “terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.” Stephen Ogilvie, a man in his 40s, remains in a serious condition with injuries to his eye, face and back after the stabbing on Monday evening. His attackers have been charged: Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, faces attempted murder, threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife. The disclosure of Alodid’s ethnicity sparked a second night of disorder on Tuesday, with gangs of masked individuals forcing open doors and setting buildings and vehicles alight while chanting “foreigners out.” Hundreds took to the streets across Belfast as smoke rose from burning cars and homes, prompting firefighters to attend multiple property fires. Assistant chief constable Ryan Henderson of the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: “Sporadic pockets of disorder have broken out in a number of locations across Northern Ireland this evening, including incidents in which a number of vehicles have been set on fire.” He urged everyone to “remain calm, act responsibly, and avoid any activity that could place themselves or others at risk.” The Ogilvie family was forced to issue a statement on the victim’s condition after false information circulating on social media caused “deeply distressing” harm. They called for an end to the violence and warned against using the stabbing to stir hostility. The incident is not thought to be terror-related. Politicians and police have pointed to the role of social media, misinformation and outside agitators in fuelling the unrest, with far-right voices believed to be stoking tensions online. As Belfast woke on Wednesday to the aftermath of burned-out vehicles and charred homes, the family’s appeal echoed across a city on edge.