In the streets off east Belfast's Newtownards Road, houses are blackened and boarded up.
Cars sit burned to their shells. Ash is in the air. You can still smell the burning.
The riots last week in Northern Ireland's capital took place almost entirely in loyalist Protestant areas like this, triggered by the stabbing of a Belfast man, Stephen Ogilvie. Hadi Alodid, who is Sudanese , has been charged with attempted murder.
A team from Phoenix Energy, the gas supplier, began to work on repairs. Residents didn’t want to be named. One of them, a Protestant woman from the area, in which loyalist paramilitary groups remain active, described having her back door kicked in.
She was terrified and upset. She felt sad for her neighbours. A Ukrainian woman, a Polish family, and a Romanian family had all been burned out of their homes.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on
Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Addresses of migrants and immigrants had been shared on social media and in WhatsApp groups. Muslim children were left with white neighbours because their parents thought it would be safer than for them to stay at home.
Rioters, who conducted what has been described as a “pogrom” , were told to wear black, to mask up, to disable doorbell cameras, to take no photos and to use no phones.
The Ukrainian woman, described as a “lovely wee girl” by someone who knew her, came to Belfast following Russia ’s invasion of her home country.
A burned-out car on a street in east Belfast, 12 June 2026 (Oscar Rickett/MEE)
Loyalist paramilitary groups like the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA) emerged after Northern Ireland's 30-year war began in the 1960s, to fight Irish republican groups and maintain its status as part of the UK.
But their influence and presence did not vanish with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which brought an official end to three decades of violent conflict in Northern Ireland.
As Belfast burned, two Sudanese women braved the streets and sheltered those under attack
Read More »
Across Belfast, locals spoke of a paramilitary presence in last week's riots. But they also pointed to something now familiar in mainland Britain, seen in racist riots from Southampton to Southport : far-right online influencers and mainstream political figures that enable and embolden unrest.
Shortly after meeting with Elon Musk’s father in a luxury Moscow hotel , far-right agitator Tommy Robinson - whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - responded to the Belfast stabbing by sharing details of planned demonstrations in response to “yet another invader attack on our people”.
Musk, the world's first trillionaire , is paying Robinson's legal fees. He shared details of the protests on his social media platform, X, along with the caption : “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!”
Jim Allister, a loyalist Northern Irish MP from the Traditional Unionist Voice party, referred to an “importation of an alien culture that thinks it is appropriate to behead someone within the United Kingdom”.
This week, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has written that “if there is no urgent action taken to remove discriminatory and dangerous anti-White policies, we will see another Belfast”.
A third summer of racist riots
To many in Belfast, this is the language of collective punishment.
In October 2024, the BBC reported that over the course of four years, 30 women had been violently killed in Northern Ireland. The vast majority of the attackers were white. Robinson, Musk and others had said nothing.
Campaigners, academics and locals across Belfast told Middle East Eye that a third summer of racist violence had been expected and that this incident was just the trigger. They spoke of an old hatred once aimed at Catholics, now redirected at foreigners.
And they said that Britain’s shift to the right, the weaponisation of racist disinformation and the failure of mainstream politicians and media to stand up to these things had fuelled the hatred.
'Paramilitaries are the element that exists here but nowhere else. It is clear they have been involved in racist violence'
- Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty UK
“Not many people meet immigrants in day-to-day life, so their understanding comes from media and social media,” Luqman Saeed, a lecturer at Ulster University, told MEE. “Immigrants are underrepresented in media except when there is a crime or it’s about seeking asylum.”
How many people, the Pakistan -born academic asked, know that temporary migrants in the UK have to pay a health surcharge to use the NHS? Or appreciate that they are often employed in the health and social care sectors?
According to the most recent data, Northern Ireland has a higher proportion of white residents - over 96 percent - than England, Wales or Scotland, and accounts for just one percent of all asylum seekers curr…
Read the full article at Middle East Eye →📄Source document: Phoenix Energy→6 reports
Middle East EyeIndependentLeft4 days agoIn Belfast, riots erupted following the stabbing of a local man, Stephen Ogilvie, leading to widespread destruction in predominantly loyalist Protestant areas. The violence targeted migrant communities, including Ukrainian, Polish, and Romanian families, whose homes were burned down. Addresses of these residents were shared online, and rioters were instructed to avoid being identified. The incident has raised concerns over rising tensions and potential discrimination against immigrant populations.
Bias read (Left): The article highlights systemic issues such as racial and ethnic targeting during the riots, emphasizes the vulnerability of immigrant communities, and critiques the organized nature of the violence through terms like 'pogrom.' It frames the event as an act of intolerance and discrimination rather a
Official sources cited
- organisation Phoenix Energy
BBC News (UK)State / PublicCenter4 days agoTwo Indian women living in Belfast expressed fear and concern after their home was damaged during recent riots. The unrest followed a knife attack, leading to fires and chaos in the area. The women, who have lived in Belfast for several years, stated they no longer feel safe in the city.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a balanced account of the situation without overtly favoring any political perspective. It focuses on the personal experiences of two individuals affected by the riots, quoting them directly and describing the events objectively. There is no evident ideological framing or biased
New StatesmanIndependentCenter8 days agoThe article discusses recent riots in Belfast, highlighting how while the targets have changed, the underlying hatred remains rooted in historical tensions.
Bias read (Center): The article appears to present an objective analysis of the situation without overtly favoring any particular side. It acknowledges the historical context and current developments without using biased language or selective sourcing.
The Guardian (UK)IndependentCenter9 days agoViolent disturbances occurred in a nationalist area of Belfast, with the events taking place against a backdrop of Union Jacks and loyalist murals. The violence was described as racially motivated.
Bias read (Center): The article presents facts without overtly favoring one side. It describes the events neutrally, noting the location and symbols present during the riots without explicitly endorsing or criticizing either community.
The Guardian (UK)IndependentCenter9 days ago On the ground in the Belfast riots - podcastTwo Ugandan women living in west Belfast describe experiencing the recent riots firsthand, including fires and masked individuals in their neighborhood. They were advised by emergency services not to leave their homes during the unrest. A Guardian reporter discusses the situation with residents, including a Sudanese refugee contemplating leaving the city.
Bias read (Center): The article provides a neutral account of events experienced by residents during the riots without overtly favoring any political perspective. It includes personal stories and quotes but does not present biased language or selective sourcing.
Daily MirrorParty-alignedCenter11 days agoJamie Corrie described his emotional distress as his Belfast home of 13 years burned down during unrest in the city. The incident occurred amid riots where individuals torched vehicles and homes, leading to clashes between mobs and police. Corrie witnessed his property being consumed by flames after a neighbor's car was set alight. He expressed deep sorrow over losing his home.
Bias read (Center): The article focuses on a personal account of property damage during civil unrest without taking a stance on the political implications of the events. It reports on the experience of an individual affected by the riots without editorializing or emphasizing any particular political perspective.
United Kingdom