Anti-migration protests spread across UK after attempted beheading in Belfast

(LifeSiteNews) — Belfast blazed with arson attacks last night as masked men expressed their anger over mass migration to the United Kingdom and recent crimes against native Britons.

Protests also erupted in Scottish cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Ayr.

On Tuesday, June 9, violence broke out in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as large groups of masked men dressed in black set fire to garbage cans, vehicles, and even homes as they allegedly sought to intimidate and drive out residents of foreign extraction.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence this morning over X.

“The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable. There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere,” he wrote.

“It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it. Those responsible will feel the full force of the law,” he wrote.

Hundreds of people gathered in Glasgow, many of them masked men, to call for an ‘end to mass immigration’ following a stabbing attack in Belfast pic.twitter.com/fDQnDhfQtl

— The National (@ScotNational) June 9, 2026

In Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, a small group of men marched up the city center’s Princes Street singing, “We want out country back.” In Ayr, on the west coast, a hundred people gathered in the town center with a homemade flag reading, “Stop the Boats,” in reference to unregulated dinghies transporting immigrants from northern France to the British south coast. The National newspaper reported that the protest appeared “to be peaceful.”

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney condemned the demonstrations

“The scenes we saw in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Ayr last night are unacceptable,” he wrote on X. “Scotland is a welcoming nation and those who choose to make their lives here are valued members of our communities. Racism, hatred and intimidation have no place in Scotland. We must stand against it.”

The scenes we saw in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Ayr last night are unacceptable.

Scotland is a welcoming nation and those who choose to make their lives here are valued members of our communities.

Racism, hatred and intimidation have no place in Scotland. We must stand against it.

— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) June 10, 2026

His remarks received a torrent of abuse in response.

The protests were sparked by the attempted murder of a Scottish man resident in Belfast, Stephen Ogilvie, by Hadi Alodid, a Sudanese national, on Monday night. A viral video of Ogilvie lying in the street and bleeding profusely from his face and neck while his attacker straddled him has gone viral.

It was reported Tuesday that the Sudanese migrant had traveled from Sudan to France and then to Dublin before arriving in Belfast by bus and immediately applying for refugee status. This was granted, and he was given leave to remain in the United Kingdom for five years.

Ogilvie, who is now in hospital, was saved from death by members of the public. The man who rushed forward with a hurling stick has been identified as Maitiu Mág Tighearnán (Matt Tierney).

According to Belfast Live, Ogilvie’s family issued a public statement thanking his rescuers but appealing for peace:

“We are aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident. We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward,” they wrote. “We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector, and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”

Tensions in the U.K. have been rising since last month’s revelations about the December 2025 murder of Henry Nowak, an English teenager of partly Polish descent. Nowak had been stabbed multiple times by his attacker, Vickrum Digwa, and instead of summoning medical help, Digwa and his family both concealed his crime and told police Nowak had subjected Digwa to racist abuse. The police are currently facing global scrutiny for uncritically trusting the testimony of the attacker while Nowak lay dying.

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