Thousands rally against racism in Belfast after week of violence

Thousands of people gathered in the Northern Irish capital Belfast on Saturday for an anti-racism rally.

An estimated 3,000 people demonstrated to denounce the violence seen earlier in the week in parts of the city.

The riots came after a video of a knife attack went viral. The suspect in the stabbing, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, has been charged with attempted murder.

Demonstrators condemn right-wing, racist violence

Protesters gathered outside the Belfast City Hall holding placards condemning the violence that saw groups of masked men set homes ablaze, torch vehicles and pelt police with bottles, bricks and Molotov cocktails.

Some in the crowd held placards with slogans such as "Hate is the only threat to our streets" and "Belfast stands against racism."

"All it takes is for one person who's not white and local to commit a crime and that fire of racism is rekindled," Elaine Crory, a lobbyist from the Women's Resource and Development agency, told the crowd.

The mayor of Belfast, Rois-Maire Donnelly, told protesters that a small minority could not be allowed to "spread fear... and hatred."

Donnelly also said that she had received death threats this week.

Immigration has become a flashpoint topic in both the UK and has helped hasten the rise of the far-right Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage.

While there may have been a peaceful atmosphere in Belfast, over in Glasgow, Scotland, an anti-racism march was met by a small contingent of men, with reports that some made Nazi-style salutes.

The anti-racism group responded by shouting, "Nazi scum off our streets."

Glasgow police said the anti-racism protest passed "without major incident" and said that there was a "significant operation in place to ensure the safety of the public."

What sparked the violence in Belfast and elsewhere in the UK?

A video of the knife attack, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as "sickening," went viral, sparking a wave of anger across Northern Ireland and the UK.

The video showed a man repeatedly slashing at and stabbing another man lying on the ground in the neck and head.

The victim of the attack, a 44-year-old man, sustained serious injuries and remains in hospital.

The suspect, who comes from Sudan, made a court appearance on Wednesday and has been charged with attempted murder.

The incident in Northern Ireland followed violent protests in Southampton, England, where anger erupted over how police handled an incident involving a young, white student who was murdered by a British Sikh man.

Bodycam footage showed police officers handcuffing the mortally wounded student as his attacker made allegations that he had been racially abused.

The judge who presided over the murder trial dismissed the racism allegations made by the attacker and handed down a life sentence for murder.

Edited by: Karl Sexton