The view from Belfast after a night of violent protests - The Latest

Summary

Podcast Summary: Today in Focus – The View from Belfast After a Night of Violent Protests
Date: June 10, 2026
Host: Nosheen Iqbal (The Guardian)
Guest: Rory Carroll (The Guardian’s Ireland Correspondent)

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Episode Overview

This evening’s episode of “Today in Focus: The Latest” dives into the eruption of racially motivated violence across Belfast following a knife attack allegedly committed by a Sudanese man. The main incident—while subject to reporting restrictions—is less the focus than the aftermath: waves of retaliatory unrest targeting immigrant communities. Through on-the-ground reporting and analysis, Guardian correspondent Rory Carroll paints a disturbing picture of rage, street violence, and the historical echoes shaping these events.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Atmosphere and Scale of the Belfast Violence

• Rory Carroll describes “hundreds of boys and men, dark clothing, wearing masks” taking to the streets, with a “sinister…almost festive atmosphere” as families bring children to watch the disorder ([01:11]/[02:32]).
• Violence included burning buses, cars, and storming homes of foreigners “whom they knew had nothing to do with this dreadful stabbing attack” ([02:32]).
• Carroll dissects the mindset driving rioters, who saw their actions as “community justice” in response to a perceived loss of control ([02:32]).

“It was basically, you know, racist attacks, a form of ethnic cleansing whereby, you know, foreigners are being targeted on the basis of the color of their skin... And yet there's also strange, almost elements of a festive atmosphere there which made it even more sinister.”
— Rory Carroll [01:11]

2. Patterns of Anti-Immigrant Violence in Northern Ireland

• Carroll explains that these incidents often recur in “loyalist Protestant working class areas of Belfast,” as seen in previous attacks in Ballymena and other places ([04:07]).
• He illuminates historical context: “Catholic areas tend to be less...flashpoints when it comes to anti immigrant sentiments” not due to absence of racism, but more effective suppression by republican groups like remnants of the IRA ([04:27]).
• Loyalist areas see more recent immigrant arrivals and associated state housing placements, feeding local grievances ([04:28]).

3. Community Reactions and Victim Testimonies

• Many immigrants and business owners—particularly those of Sudanese origin—express fear as well as stoic resilience, having fled even worse violence back home ([06:34]).
• Community members brace for “fresh attacks” and question where safety can ever be found ([06:34]).

“Some said, well, you know, where is safe? They've come from Sudan...They kind of just roll with it in a way. But, you know, I think once they're home and hunkering down with their children, it must be just a very difficult situation.”
— Rory Carroll [06:34]

4. Historical Parallels to the Troubles

• Carroll draws explicit connections between the present events and the Troubles, noting violence is unfolding “on some of the very same streets where mobs burned out Catholic families back in 1969” ([01:11], [07:25]).
• Iconography of masked men, coordinated street action, and targeted burning evokes memories of “archival footage” from that era ([07:25]).

“The Troubles, the history of Northern Ireland echoes through what we're seeing...in a sense, there's like these young guys now...almost like cosplaying, you know, these memories of archival footage that they’ve seen of the Troubles.”
— Rory Carroll [07:25]

5. Drivers of Hostility and Misperception

• Many residents—across sectarian lines—resent perceived preferential treatment of immigrants, suspecting they receive more state aid and housing ([08:42]).
• Carroll notes that “surveys show...many think that immigrants...are not contributing...that they're a drain...given preferential treatment,” despite economic data showing immigrants’ net contribution ([08:42], [09:49]).
• Visual evidence (neighbors seeing “the house down the road” going to a foreign family) and powerful social media narratives reinforce these animosities ([09:49]).

“If you're in a loyalist housing estate, you don't necessarily see ...the economic impact of immigrants. What you do see is that the house down the road that your aunt or cousin hoped to get... goes to a family from Romania or Bulgaria or Sudan.”
— Rory Carroll [09:49]

6. Role of Social Media and Online Incitement

• Influential figures (Elon Musk, Tommy Robinson) “furiously posting” encourage public protest and amplify anti-immigrant rhetoric, creating a “parallel world and reality” that spills into offline violence ([10:45]-[11:14]).
• Chief Constable John Boucher urges the public “not to be fooled or duped into a trap by people online inciting awful behavior” ([11:14]).

“It’s extremely worrying because it's creating its own...parallel world and reality and then people are acting out on that in the real world.”
— Rory Carroll [11:14]

7. Authorities’ Response and Its Limitations

• The Prime Minister’s statement condemned the violence, promising full legal consequences for perpetrators ([11:32]).
• Carroll reflects on the efficacy of policing, noting that strong action in Ballymena did reduce further disorder—but that it also made rioters more hostile toward journalists and outsiders ([12:01]).
• Ultimately, deterrence is partial: “Clearly on the base of what we saw last night, it's not enough.” ([12:01])

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “A riot, among other things, is also a spectacle. And so it's natural that people are wanting to come out and see it. But when you see the vibe is quite supportive...that's unfortunately, I saw that also in Ballymena” — Rory Carroll [05:34]

• “People...feel that, you know, they didn't want this. Nobody asked them, nobody consulted them. Do you want to live in a multicultural, multi ethnic society? Northern Ireland used to be mono ethnic...within almost two generations.” — Rory Carroll [08:42]

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Key Timestamps

• 01:11 – Carroll’s initial description of the violence and atmosphere
• 02:32 – Carroll details the justified anger among rioters
• 04:07 – On recurring patterns and typical locales for unrest
• 05:34 – The phenomenon of families bringing children to witness the riots
• 06:34 – Immigrant and business owner testimony
• 07:25 – The parallel to the Troubles and historical continuity
• 08:42 – Carroll analyzes the roots of local resentment
• 09:49 – Addressing misperceptions vs. facts about immigration and economics
• 10:45 – The impact of social media incitement
• 11:14 – Police and government reactions and their limitations
• 12:01 – Reflections on the effectiveness of law enforcement

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Tone & Takeaway

The conversation is somber, urgent, and deeply contextual, reflecting both the visceral reality of ethnic violence in Belfast and the historical shadows under which it unfolds. Carroll’s reporting humanizes all sides—rioters spurred by misinformation, immigrants enduring a new wave of fear, and law enforcement struggling to stem the tide. The episode cautions listeners about rising misinformation, online radicalization, and the persistent, cyclical nature of communal violence.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

This is the Guardian. Today in Focus is supported by Paramount, the Agency. All episodes streaming June 21st on Paramount. In the world of espionage, truth is a moving target and every decision carries a dangerous consequence. This new mission explores what it means to live as a double agent. Twice the lies, twice the risk. The lines between ally and enemy blur like never before. And survival depends on trusting no one. Starring Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner Smith and Richard Gere. Don't miss the Agency. All episode streaming June 21st on Paramount. Plus.

[Rory Carroll]

It was basically, you know, racist attacks, a form of ethnic cleansing whereby, you know, foreigners are being targeted on the basis of the color of their skin. Hundreds of boys and men, dark clothing, wearing masks. And yet there's also strange, almost elements of a festive atmosphere there which made it even more sinister. The Troubles, the history of Northern Ireland echoes through what we're seeing. Some of the very same streets where mobs burned out Catholic families back in 1969.

[Noshi Nikbal]

From the Guardians Today in Focus, this is the latest. I'm Noshi Nikbal. Rory Carroll, you're the Guardians island correspondent and you've been reporting from Northern Ireland where we saw violence erupt on the streets of Belfast last night in response to this horrific knife attack on Monday evening. The suspect, a 30 year old Sudanese man, Hadi Alodid, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder. The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, has lost his left eye and remains in hospital. I will say at the top that we're not going to be discussing the attack itself. There are reporting restrictions in place to prevent prejudice in criminal proceedings. Needless to say, a graphic video has been shared online and people took to the streets in rage. Rory, you were out in the city last night. Can you tell me what you saw?

[Rory Carroll]

A lot of anger. People felt that they were completely justified to burn buses, cars, to storm the homes of foreigners whom they knew had nothing to do with this dreadful stabbing attack. And yet they felt that this was justice, community justice, because they feel that things have got the, you know, you hear the sentiment out of control repeatedly. And so there was obviously sense of menace, very sinister when you see hundreds of boys and men, dark clothing, wearing masks and very dramatic circumstance. Police helicopters overhead, houses on fire and accurate smell everywhere, sirens going off. And yet there's also strange, almost elements of a festive atmosphere there which made it even more sinister. You had families coming out with young children coming out to watch what was happening and what was happening. It was basically, you know, racist attacks, a form of ethnic cleansing whereby, you know, foreigners are being targeted on the basis of the color of their skin. And so this was unfolded across multiple locations in Belfast and also in other parts outside the city.

[Noshi Nikbal]

Well, Rory, you've reported on waves of violence against immigrants in Ireland and Northern Ireland in recent years, from the sustained attack on Deliveroo drivers in 2023, the riots that were triggered by the Southport attack in 24, and what we saw in Ballymena last year against the Roma community. Would you say it's typically the same minority of people behind the unrest?

[Rory Carroll]

Yes, in the sense that it's often, usually the worst trouble is in loyalist Protestant working class areas of Belfast. You mentioned Ballymena. You know, and of course in Northern Ireland, so much as sectarian, nationalist Catholic areas tend to be less, not so much flashpoints when it comes to anti immigrant sentiments.

[Noshi Nikbal]

Why is that?

[Rory Carroll]

If you go to nationalist Catholic areas, you hear the same kind of racist sentiments that you hear in loyalist ones. There seems to be little difference there. But one big difference is that I think the IRA or the remnants of it are able to stifle on the republican side these explicit eruptions of kind of racial tinged ethnic cleansing. Whereas on the loyalist side, there are ex lawyers, paramedics, who do also try to stifle this, feel that this is wrong, but they don't have the same level of control. And also going a bit more deeply, I think the sense of grievance on the loyalist side, the sense that immigrants are taking over, they're taking over the housing. And certainly it is true that there are more immigrants, newly arrived immigrants and asylum seekers are more likely to be placed in loyalist areas than nationalist areas. So, I mean, there is a certain kind of logic as to why we're seeing this again and again happening in loyalist areas.

[Noshi Nikbal]

And you mentioned the families, the women with their kids. Is that unusual, do you think? That was quite distinctive last night in a way that you haven't seen before?

[Rory Carroll]

Sadly, no. And I often find that one of the most upsetting things at these events, when you see kind of rubberneckers coming out to. But not just to watch what's happening. And, you know, that's kind of universal. People are just curious. I mean, a riot, among other things, is also a spectacle. And so it's natural that people are wanting to come out and see it. But when you see the vibe is quite supportive, you know, and they're holding up young children so they can see better as a house is burning or a sofa's being thrown out of a window and you know, see there, catch a, get the Duke of that, you know, with glee. And, you know, and so that's. Unfortunately, I saw that also in Ballymena and here two years ago when riots erupted in Belfast in the wake of the Southport tragedy.

[Noshi Nikbal]

Rory, you spoke to members of Belfast Sudanese community, but what happened last night seems to be affecting anyone essentially, who isn't white people's, as you say, houses have been set on fire, businesses attacked. What are those people saying to you?

[Rory Carroll]

There's a mixture. Some are just very frightened, upset. You know, they're worried, is it going to happen again? Might there be fresh eruptions today? And at the same time, there's also very. I was going to impress a very kind of phlegmatic, kind of stoic response yesterday from some of the Sudanese business owners who have had their businesses attacked before were kind of bracing themselves for fresh attacks last night. And, you know, some said, well, you know, where is safe? They've come from Sudan, a Southern Sudan where, you know, they fled war. And so, you know, they kind of just roll with it in a way. But, you know, I think once they're home at hunkering down with their children, you know, it must be just a very difficult situation.

[Noshi Nikbal]

And is there anything about the context of Northern Ireland and the way that people mobilized last night different to the protests we saw in pockets of the uk?

[Rory Carroll]

Well, on one level, the scenes here in Northern Ireland are very similar to what unfolds, has unfolded in England. But, of course, the Troubles, the history of Northern Ireland echoes through what we're seeing this week, since some of the very same streets where houses were burned out last night, where mobs burned out Catholic families back in 1969, at the dawn of the Troubles. And so, you know, there's kind of a precedent for. For ethnic cleansing and the purging of the other. Also the iconography of the Troubles, you know, masked men, dark clothing, out in the streets like that. We saw that so many the times in different contexts during the Troubles. So in a sense, there's like these young guys now are almost like cosplaying, you know, these memories of archival footage that they've seen of the Troubles.

[Noshi Nikbal]

And meanwhile, Stephen Ogilvy's family have called for calm. They've issued this statement stressing the deeply valuable contribution that migrants make. And yet, given the current political climate, it is unsurprising that the focus of debate is again on immigration and that this shocking act of violence is being used by some to justify hostility against all minorities. Rory, how do you assess what's actually behind the anger, resentment and violence that was just triggered last night.

[Rory Carroll]

Well, people here, and this is Catholics and Protestants and surveys show this, that they often, many think that immigrants and especially asylum seekers are not contributing to Northern Ireland society, that they're a drain on the economics because they're given, you know, the sentiment of the narrative is that they are given preferential treatment for housing, that they are given handouts by the state. And so people are resentful of that. And plus that they are imposing, you know, their alien culture. And this is sort of a rhetoric that is also being reflected by politicians, in some cases more explicitly than others. And so for a lot of people here, they feel that, you know, they didn't want this. Nobody asked them, nobody consulted them. Do you want to live in a multicultural, multi ethnic society? Northern Ireland used to be mono ethnic, as completely white up until, you know, within almost two generations. And so, you know, people feel, well, we're responding to this.

[Noshi Nikbal]

And how much of that feeling is based on any sort of reality of facts when it comes to housing, when it comes to jobs, when it actually comes to the economic conditions?

[Rory Carroll]

Well, at a micro level, clearly the numbers show that immigrants contribute economically to the society, that they contribute more in terms of driving the economy. But at a micro level, if you're in a loyalist housing estate, you don't necessarily see, you know, the role, the economic impact of immigrants. What you do see is that the house down the road that your aunt or your cousin hoped to get doesn't get it because it's a family from Romania or Bulgaria or Sudan. And, you know, so then. And the social media is telling you, your social media feeds are telling you that these people are, you know, glomming off the States and that they're also, they're not like you and I. They've got these strange, you know, violent ways. And so, you know, this narrative of invasion influx is very prevalent and people feel, well, that their own eyes are telling them that it's true.

[Noshi Nikbal]

And that language is really strong online, isn't it? And I'm thinking about, you know, Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson furiously posting, claiming that only by protesting repeatedly and loudly will there be any change. You know. Meanwhile, John Boucher, chief constable of Northern Ireland's police, has urged people not to be fooled or duped into a trap by people online inciting awful behavior. But how much of what you're seeing on social media is a real worry to what's happening offline?

[Rory Carroll]

Oh, well, it's extremely worrying because it's creating its own kind of parallel world and reality and then people are acting out on that in the real world. We saw that last night, may well see it again today. You know, it legitimizes, I mean, the worst behavior and the worst sentiments.

[Noshi Nikbal]

And meanwhile, you know, the Prime Minister issued a statement this morning, and he said, there is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it online or elsewhere. It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background, and I will not tolerate it. And in similar way to what he said after the Southport attacks, those responsible will feel the full force of the law. Rory, how effective do you think that will be in calming things down?

[Rory Carroll]

Well, the police, to their credit, were very effective after the Ballymena riots of last year. There were dozens of arrests after that. And that actually had an impact on the community there. People. I was back in Ballymena after the riots, and people were saying, my God, so many teenagers getting criminal records because of that. And so I think that's one reason why our job now as journalists become even harder covering these things, because last night people were so rioters and their sympathizers were very hostile to anybody, any perceived outsiders taking pictures, you know, you take out your camera, you know, at your peril, because they're much more conscious now of the potential policing and being identified. The policing is. Is it a deterrence? To some extent. But clearly on the base of what we saw last night, it's not enough.

[Noshi Nikbal]

Rory, thank you so much for your time.

[Rory Carroll]

Thank you, Anashin.

[Noshi Nikbal]

That's it for today. My thanks to Rory Carroll, the Guardians island correspondent. You can keep up with all of Rory's reporting and live coverage of this story over@the guardian.com thanks for listening to this episode of the latest Today in Focus will be back in your feeds as usual tomorrow morning, and the latest will be back tomorrow night. This episode was produced by Bryony Moore and Annie Levespa. It was presented by me, Noshi Nikbal, and the senior producer was Ryan Ramgobin.

[Narrator/Announcer]

This is the Guardian.

[Rory Carroll]

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[Narrator/Announcer]

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