Stabbing by Asylum Seeker Sparks Belfast Protests; Musk and Robinson Amplify on Social Media

German public broadcaster ZDF said posts by Elon Musk and British activist Tommy Robinson helped fuel anti-immigrant violence in Belfast after a stabbing incident. A 30-year-old Sudanese man, Hadi Alodid, was charged with attempted murder, possession of a knife and making threats to kill.

He entered Northern Ireland in 2023, received refugee status the same year and holds leave to remain until 2028, a Home Office spokesperson confirmed. The victim, a man in his 40s, suffered serious injuries to his eyes, face and back and was hospitalized.

The charges triggered protests that turned violent in Belfast and other areas, with masked individuals setting fire to homes believed to house immigrants, torching a bus and throwing rocks at police.

ZDF’s program “Today Live” examined the role of social media in the unrest. The broadcaster stated that Musk and Robinson called for repeated protests and that Musk shared Robinson’s post with his 240 million followers. Researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate reported that posts from Robinson and Restore Britain party leader Rupert Lowe received more than 115 million views, with Musk accounting for 55 percent of the total.

The group said it found more than 3,900 comments advocating violence against immigrants. A volunteer group, the Accountability Project Northern Ireland, had warned police in January 2026 about a circulating list of addresses that were later targeted.

ZDF previously retracted a report that misrepresented comments by Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. The current unrest follows similar riots in 2024 after three children were fatally stabbed at a dance workshop.