Chaos descended on the Northern Irish capital Belfast on Monday and Tuesday evening as anti-immigrant protests escalated. There was burning of garbage on the streets and thick smoke, as well as mob violence. The riots spread throughout the neighborhood, and massive police deployment attempted to keep the riots under control.
Claire Hannah, leader of the Social Democratic and Labor parties in Northern Ireland, described anti-immigrant violence as “race-based genocide” on the BBC’s Newsnight programme.
“Children in my constituency and in other areas were taken from their beds as their houses burned down,” he told Britain’s Parliament on Wednesday. “Masked men roamed the streets, going door to door, threatening and setting fire to cars, buses and houses, terrorizing people based on the color of their skin or the sound of their voice.”
Security forces prevented a repeat of the violence in Belfast on Wednesday. But marches and riots also broke out in other cities across the United Kingdom. According to media reports, people were specifically targeted and attacked because of the color of their skin.
The unrest was apparently sparked by a video of a knife attack going viral on social media. In the video, it is seen that a man is repeatedly stabbing another man lying on the ground. The victim was taken to hospital, where he suffered serious injuries. The culprit was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder.
The 44-year-old victim is an Irish man. The suspect is a 30-year-old Sudanese man.
Racism promoted on social media platforms
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence and said those responsible would be held accountable. He also criticized people promoting racism and xenophobia on social media platforms.
The riots come at a time when various posts on platforms like X and Telegram have helped fuel an already tense and aggressive environment. For example, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a far-right extremist who goes by the name Tommy Robinson, and has been convicted multiple times, called for mass protests across Britain. X CEO Elon Musk retweeted his post.
Other far-right extremists, particularly in Britain and the US, have repeatedly called for marches in protest against British immigration policy.
A reminder of the summer riots of 2024
The violence in Belfast is reminiscent of the summer of 2024, when racist riots broke out across Britain after three girls died in a mass stabbing in the British coastal city of Southport.
Disinformation about the suspect was spread by far-right extremists, including Robinson, to systematically incite racist violence online.
Racism is rampant throughout the United Kingdom
According to observers, the most violent rioting this week took place in parts of Belfast, home to largely Protestant working-class communities that are traditional unionist strongholds.
Although the 1998 Good Friday Agreement ended decades of deadly civil conflict known as the Troubles, the legacy of neglect is still felt in both unionist and nationalist communities. Unemployment is high and prospects are lacking in many parts of Northern Ireland. Furthermore, since Brexit, many Protestants in Northern Ireland feel increasingly isolated from the rest of the UK.
In 2024, the most violent riots erupt in the former industrial powerhouses of Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull in northern England, which have been in decline for decades. High inflation rates, stagnant wages and public services such as the NHS that have been crushed by austerity measures have intensified existential fears.
This week, the unrest has spread to Southampton in southern England, a city where 18 neighborhoods rank in the top 10% of the most deprived areas nationwide.
British politicians have fostered a hostile environment
The anti-immigration debate is not new in Britain. Successive conservative governments tried to pursue a controversial policy of sending unwanted migrants to Rwanda for processing. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to “stop the boats” from France by 2023, referring to the small vessels used to cross the English Channel.
Far-right politicians such as Nigel Farage, leader of the nationalist Reform UK Party, have helped to normalize xenophobic narratives and anti-immigrant campaigns in British politics. He and Boris Johnson promised British voters that Britain would “take back control” of its borders if Brexit goes ahead.
Immigration remains high despite Brexit, and some voters believe the state has failed them.
Starmer said there would be “no tolerance for despicable scenes of violence”. on our streets like this” and that rioters would face “the full force of the law.”
But it remains to be seen how quickly the violence will be brought under control. It took several days in 2024.
This article was originally published in German.