Dozens of young men answered the call to “be prepared to fight or be arrested” – and by Tuesday night, vehicles were burning across east and north Belfast. The violence, which erupted after a horrific knife attack in north Belfast on Monday evening, was fuelled by far-right activists who leveraged the incident to advance anti-migrant agendas.
Footage of the attack first circulated on platforms like TikTok and X on Monday 8 June, with comments flooding in about the identity of the alleged perpetrator, a Sudanese man who, the Home Office said, had been granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom. Far-right activist Tommy Robinson quickly urged his supporters to protest against what he called an “invader attack”, providing a list of locations across the UK where demonstrations were due to take place on Tuesday night. His X post was amplified by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who urged citizens to protest “repeatedly and loudly” to change government policies on immigration.
“Far-right activists incited protests in Belfast after a knife attack, leading to arson and vehicle fires.”
Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe went further, pledging that his party would support mass deportations and the reintroduction of the death penalty to prevent further atrocities committed by “barbarians”. Meanwhile, WhatsApp messages from anonymous accounts circulated throughout the day, calling for men aged 18 and over in Northern Ireland to “be prepared to fight or be arrested”.
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable Jon Boutcher urged members of the public not to be “duped” into violent disorder by people online inciting such behaviour. But the news that the suspect had been charged with attempted murder did little to quell tensions. The PSNI reported sporadic street protests across the region, with several vehicles set on fire in east and north Belfast. Later on Tuesday evening there were several reported incidents of racist violence in towns including Ballyclare and Portadown, with arson attacks on homes and businesses. More police officers were deployed across Belfast last night ahead of further protests and unrest.
Northern Ireland has seen this playbook before. In the past two years, far-right actors have used online platforms to weaponise horrific incidents as part of their anti-immigration campaigns. During the Southport riots in August 2024, far-right groups used online platforms to stoke agitation. In Ballymena last June, after two Romanian teenagers were charged with the attempted rape of a schoolgirl (charges later dropped), businesses and homes were attacked in violence the PSNI said were being treated as “race-motivated”. People from minority ethnic backgrounds displayed union flags on their doors to avoid being targeted.
As the fires smouldered in Belfast, the question remained: how many more times will this cycle repeat?