Topic summary
2026 Northern Ireland riots
27 people made homeless
On 9 June 2026, riots broke out across Belfast following a stabbing attack allegedly committed by an African man the previous evening. Further protests were reported across Northern Ireland and in Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland, as well as Southampton in England. Southampton had also seen unrelated rioting during the previous week, following the release of footage of the arrest and murder of Henry Nowak.
Homes, businesses and vehicles were set alight across Northern Ireland during the riots. A number of people were made homeless after their properties were attacked and set fire to by rioters going door-to-door, attempting to identify houses occupied by immigrants. The Times referred to the violence as "spontaneous pogroms" and The Irish Times called it "a race-based pogrom". Rioters also targeted shops and the police, and set fire to vehicles.
On Saturday 13 June, large crowds of counter-protesters gathered in Belfast and Derry to rally against the riots, displaying banners such as "Riots don't speak for Belfast" and "Belfast stands against racism".