Belfast Police Arrest 16 After Two Nights of Disorder

Belfast police arrested 16 people during a second night of disorder sparked by a stabbing. Groups gathered in several locations Thursday evening but left after officers warned they were increasing their presence. The previous night, dozens of masked protesters threw petrol bombs and projectiles at riot police, who used water cannon.

The clashes followed a court appearance by a Sudanese man charged with attempted murder over a Monday stabbing.

Background on the Incident A video of the stabbing circulated widely on social media after it was posted online Monday evening. The footage showed one man slashing another lying in the street. The stabbing victim’s condition was described as improving Thursday.

His relatives appealed for calm and said violence was not welcome. Twelve officers were injured in the unrest, according to the UK government’s Northern Ireland minister. Dozens of masked individuals set fire to a car and boarded-up property and threw projectiles at officers attempting to reach a hotel used to house asylum seekers.

A nurse traveling to work at Ulster Hospital was chased and intimidated Wednesday, the hospital authority said. The main mosque in Northern Ireland closed Tuesday for the first time in its history. Two more people were charged in connection with the unrest and are scheduled to appear in court later Thursday.

Most disturbances occurred in Protestant pro-UK unionist areas of Belfast, while Catholic pro-Irish unity districts remained largely quiet. An assistant chief constable stated there was no evidence the unrest had been coordinated by loyalist paramilitaries.

Authorities attributed the anger to far-right activists on social media. A 30-year-old Sudanese national was remanded in custody Wednesday on the attempted murder charge, with the case adjourned to July 8.