London (EFE).- The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) issued a warning on Wednesday stating that, following recent anti-immigration riots in Belfast triggered by the stabbing of a man by a Sudanese national, contact details have been shared and specific homes have been targeted to incite further protests.
«Highlighting properties in this way is totally unacceptable,» authorities stated, noting they have received calls from families, landlords, neighbors, and other local community members who are «extremely distressed as a result of this reckless activity.»
The PSNI emphasized that such actions put lives at risk and the situation “has to stop.»
They further warned that sharing personal information online with the intent to endanger others, or publishing and distributing material that could be categorized as «threatening or abusive,» could constitute a criminal offense. They will investigate any such posts that come to their attention.
This police appeal follows violent incidents on Tuesday night in Belfast, which resulted in the burning of homes presumably housing immigrants, as well as the vandalism of buses and street furniture.
The anti-immigration riots in Belfast were a response to the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvy by 30-year-old Sudanese national Hadi Alodid on Monday night, which left the victim with the loss of an eye and wounds to his neck and back.
On Wednesday, Facebook screenshots circulated on social media revealing a list of «Houses in Multiple Occupation» (HMO) marked as potential targets for further protests in Belfast and surrounding areas, including street names, house numbers, and postcodes.
Meanwhile, British far-right agitator Tommy Robinson shared a post on X on Wednesday from the account @IrishPatriot91, calling for a protest late in the evening against a group of houses in Coleraine, a town 90 kilometers from Belfast.
The post included the street name, located near a university campus, a map of the town with the location marked, and details about the residents: «17 HMO Properties. 67 People. One Small Area.»
«Join us tonight at 7pm as local residents make their voices heard. Turn up. Stand together. Be heard,» the post continued.
Second journey of protests
According to the BBC, between 90 and 100 people gathered for this protest in Coleraine after being mobilized via social media, with dozens of police officers present attempting to block the protesters’ access to the houses.
The region entered on Wednesday to a second consecutive night of youth-led unrest as crowds clashed with police. Authorities deployed water cannons in Sandyknowes to disperse 200 demonstrators who threw stones and bottles while attempting to storm a hotel housing asylum seekers.
Similar disturbances were reported in Glengormley, Newtownabbey, Derry, and Stormont, where hooded youths launched objects at police barricades and set fires to tires and a sanitation truck.
The escalating violence, fueled by online hate speech from agitators like Robinson and comments from tech billionaire Elon Musk, forced businesses to close early, companies to mandate remote work, and public transit to cancel multiple routes.
In an effort to de-escalate the mounting racial tension, the family of the stabbing victim issued a statement on Wednesday, pleading with the public to protest peacefully and refrain from further acts of violence.
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