Second Night of Unrest in Belfast Over Asylum-Seeker Attack

Police said 12 officers were injured, some by petrol bombs, as disorder spread to Belfast, Glengormley, and Portadown.

Police fire a water cannon toward rioters after they set fire to wheelie bins and removed a garden fence to use as a shield against the water cannon in Newtownabbey, Belfast, Northern Ireland, on June 10, 2026. PA via AP

For a second night, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, resulting in clashes with police, burnt vehicles and damage to properties. The unrest was sparked after footage of an alleged knife attack by a Sudanese asylum-seeker, which left a local man with serious head and neck wounds, went viral.

Officers used water cannon and fired plastic batons on Wednesday night as rioting broke out again in Belfast, Glengormley, and Portadown.