Belfast: The family of the victim of a horrific knife attack in Belfast has pleaded with the public to reject the riots that hit the city on Tuesday night, amid fears that masked protesters could return to migrant communities to set their homes on fire.
The family’s statement came after police charged a Sudanese asylum seeker, Hadi Alodid, 30, with attempted murder after a shocking assault on Monday night that sparked a political storm over crime and migration.
Belfast residents prepared for another wave of protests by closing shops and cafes early on Wednesday, closing schools and leaving the city center to return to their homes in case anti-immigrant gangs returned to set fire to houses and vehicles.
Stab attack victim Stephen Ogilvy is in hospital after losing his left eye and severely damaging his right, as well as suffering deep cuts to his face and back.
Ogilvy’s parents issued a statement Wednesday thanking onlookers who came to his aid before police could arrive to take the suspect into custody.
“We are completely devastated by the horrific attack on our loved one on Kinnaird Avenue,” they said.
“This has been a huge shock to our entire family and right now our only priority is to be at his bedside and help him recover.
“We are aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident. We want to make it absolutely clear that nighttime riots are not welcome and that peaceful protest is the only way forward.
“We have many immigrants who make a very valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector, and we depend on them to make our country work.
“We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”
New details emerged about Alodid when he faced Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning (around 8pm AEST) and was refused bail.
The court heard Alodid had allegedly threatened to kill an NHS radiologist before the knife attack on Monday night. He is due to appear in court again on July 8.
Conservative politicians, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Restore leader Rupert Lowe, seized on the events to intensify their calls to stop migration and the deportation of migrants already settled in the UK, turning the attack into a national debate on migration.
They and others expressed outrage that Alodid had been allowed to enter the UK by traveling from Sudan to France and then flying from Paris to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, before taking a bus to Belfast. In doing so, he took advantage of the lack of border controls for people traveling from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland.
Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher called Tuesday night’s riots an “act of self-harm” by those involved due to the harm to the community, and revealed he had asked other police forces for help to prepare for further protests.
“This disorder is an insult to the victim of this assault, an insult to the members of the public who bravely stepped forward to save his life and to the officers who responded to the scene,” he said.
“If you have a niece, a nephew, a brother, a sister or a member of your local sports club, if you have seen them in disorder, stop them from going out today. This has to stop. We cannot have a society that allows this to happen.”
Police have taken action against some of those involved in Tuesday night’s riots, including a 39-year-old man charged with rioting and a 42-year-old man charged with rioting, attempted criminal damage and assaulting a police officer.
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David Crowe is European correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via unknown either email.
