Rioting Follows Stabbing in Belfast; Anti-Racism Rallies Held in Belfast and Glasgow

A 30-year-old man from Sudan was arrested on charges of attempted murder after a stabbing in Belfast that left a man partly blind. Groups of masked men subsequently set fire to several homes they believed to house immigrants, torched a bus, and threw bricks, bottles, and firebombs at police. More than two dozen people were left homeless and 12 police officers were injured.

Thousands gathered in Belfast on Saturday for an anti-racism rally outside City Hall. Elaine Crory told the crowd that one crime by a person who is not white and local can rekindle racism. Newlyweds Cara Bell and Matthew Richardson joined the demonstration after their wedding at City Hall.

Bell said the rally showed that the violence did not reflect the general feeling of people in Belfast and that the week had shown both the worst and best of humanity in the city.

Disorder also occurred in Glasgow, where an anti-racism group rallied thousands. Worshippers at a mosque went into lockdown during the unrest, police said. A smaller group of mostly men made Nazi salutes and shouted anti-Muslim chants.