Large crowds gather at demonstration against racial prejudice following recent disturbances in Belfast

A demonstration against racism took place in central Belfast, Northern Ireland on June 13, 2026, following a few nights of disorder that hit the city after a video of a knife attack on June 8 went viral across social media platforms, prompting people to call for calm.

n

On June 13, thousands of people gathered in the Northern Irish city of Belfast for an anti-racism rally, sparked by unrest that followed a horrific stabbing, with the city witnessing two nights of disorder after the video of the attack spread across social media.

n

Protesters at the rally carried placards bearing slogans such as “Hate is the only threat to our streets” and “Belfast stands against racism”, as they voiced their opposition to racism in the city.

n

A video of the knife attack, which occurred on Monday night, showed a man straddling another lying in the street and slashing him with a knife, and it was this footage that went viral across social media platforms, leading to the unrest in the city.

n

A Sudanese man appeared in court on Wednesday, charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie, who remains in hospital, as the city began to come to terms with the aftermath of the attack.

n

Hilary Hunter, a 63-year-old protester, expressed her disgust at the events unfolding in the city, stating that she was attending the rally because she was “just disgusted at what’s going on, our beautiful country”, and that the majority of people were against the racist violence.

n

According to Hunter, the rally was an opportunity for people to show that those responsible for the violence did not represent the majority, saying “Everybody’s here just to show that those people… causing all the problems aren’t speaking for us”.

n

The rally was organised by the Unite Against Racism group, which brought together people from across the city to condemn the racist violence and show their support for the victims.

n

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn condemned the rioting, stating that it had created a sense of fear, with some people being “intimidated” and “burned out of their houses by masked thugs on the basis of the colour of their skin”, describing the situation as unacceptable.

n

Benn also highlighted reports of people being stopped in their cars and asked about their nationality on their way to work, which he described as “completely unacceptable” and a worrying trend in the city.

n

Local councillor Seamas de Faoite of the SDLP, the main Northern Irish nationalist party, said that people had turned out to show that they were “appalled” at the “racist violence”, and that organisations across the city were working to rehome those who were now “too frightened” to return to their homes.

n

Immigration remains a highly contentious issue in both the UK and Ireland, and has contributed to the rise of the hard-right Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, which has been gaining traction in recent years.

n

Both countries have experienced frequent anti-immigration protests, some of which have turned violent, highlighting the deep-seated tensions and divisions surrounding the issue of immigration.