Stephen Ogilvie, victim of the stabbing in Belfast, suffered serious eye injuries alongside cuts to his face and back, and remains hospitalized.
Authorities in Northern Ireland used a water cannon on Wednesday to disperse protesters as unrest persisted following an earlier knife assault in Belfast this week.
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Demonstrators opposing immigration, many clad in black with masks covering their faces, gathered for a second consecutive night, throwing bricks and bottles at police and setting fire to cars and trash bins despite official calls for peace.
Disruptions erupted across Northern Ireland and Scotland on Tuesday evening after widely shared distressing video footage of the stabbing appeared. The clip depicted a man straddling another in the middle of a street, slashing at his face and neck with a knife until a group intervened.
A 30-year-old Sudanese individual, reportedly named in court as Hadi Alodid, was detained and charged with attempted murder related to the stabbing.
The injured party, Stephen Ogilvie, suffered critical damage to his eyes in addition to cuts on his face and back and remains under medical care.
Ogilvie’s relatives issued a statement expressing their devastation over the brutal attack and condemned the violent aftermath across Northern Ireland.
«We have numerous migrants who contribute significantly to our nation, including roles within healthcare and hospitality, on whom we rely for the country to function,» the statement asserted. «We firmly reject using this terrible event to foster division or hostility – do not invoke our loved one’s name for such reasons, as we stand for different values.»
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the disturbances as «entirely unacceptable» and called for calm.
“The violent acts and arson witnessed last night in Belfast have no excuse,” he posted on X on Wednesday.
«It is crucial to allow the police to carry out their duties,» he added.
During Tuesday’s protests in Belfast, two officers sustained injuries, while two others were hurt responding to unrest in Glasgow.