San Francisco Frontiers - Belfast stabbing suspect in court after 'terrifying' night of violence

Authorities accused far-right activists -- including US tech billionaire Elon Musk -- of stoking divisions as rioters in Belfast torched vehicles and buildings late Tuesday, forcing families to flee their homes.

The disorder comes with tensions already high in the United Kingdom following skirmishes in southern England last week over the police handling of the murder of a white student by a British Sikh man.

Anselme Shima, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and who has lived in Northern Ireland since 2013, called the situation "terrifying".

"I have two children at home and this morning I am wondering, 'Can I send them to school?'" the 48-year-old told AFP Wednesday.

Northern Ireland police chief Jon Boutcher told BBC radio: "Last night we rescued so many families."

"Taking families –- a baby as young as two months –- out of their address to safety, taking them to police stations."

Thirty-year-old Hadi Alodid, a refugee originally from Sudan, made a brief appearance at Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with the attempted murder of a man in his 40s on Monday.

The hearing heard that the victim lost an eye during the attack.

Alodid, also charged with possession of a bladed article in public and threats to kill, was denied bail by a judge, who adjourned the case to July 8.

Footage of the attack -- which showed several people intervening, one wielding a hurling stick -- sparked widespread condemnation.

It went viral on social media, with appeals for calm from police and lawmakers going unheeded in some areas of Northern Ireland. Calls for more protests from 1:00pm (1200 GMT) were already circulating on Wednesday.

- 'Bad faith actors' -

Hundreds of protesters, many masked, gathered at several locations across Belfast, AFP journalists witnessed. A bus and several cars were set alight, while a building caught fire and its residents had to be evacuated.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that the violence was "shocking and completely unacceptable", adding that "people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it".

Northern Irish political leaders and the police had urged people not to share the video, noting its "graphic nature would only serve to retraumatise those involved".

But numerous social media accounts linked to so-called "patriots" shared the footage, urging people to "protest against mass immigration into their communities".

The chairwoman of Britain's ruling Labour party, Anna Turley, said online platforms were "playing a role in driving" the unrest and suggested X owner Musk was one of the "bad faith actors" inflaming tensions.

Musk had retweeted a post by anti-immigration activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon -- also known as Tommy Robinson -- adding: "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!".

He also retweeted a post by Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, a fringe hard-right party, saying "millions must go".

Musk "has a responsibility, everyone in public and civil life has a responsibility to call for calm and not to stoke grievance or hatred... that puts vulnerable people and our communities at risk," Turley said.

- 'Boom' -

Alodid is a Sudanese refugee with a residence permit valid until 2028, according to the UK interior ministry.

Boutcher said he had arrived in the UK in 2023 via Paris and Dublin and "was not known" to police.

On Wednesday morning, resident Jamie Corry surveyed the wreckage of his house which went up in flames during the disorder.

"As soon as that car exploded, boom, it all caught fire," he told AFP.

"All that stuff is going to be replaced, but the sentimental stuff can't."

Immigration is a hot-button issue in Britain, and has helped fuel the rise of the hard-right Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage.

He was handcuffed by police as he lay dying after his murderer Vickrum Digwa falsely accused Nowak of racially abusing him.

B.Johnson--SFF