A Sudanese national is being held on suspicion of attempted murder after a frenzied knife attack in Belfast left a man with serious eye injuries and prompted online attempts to provoke violent street protests.
Police in Northern Ireland called for calm amid concerns that demonstrations in Belfast and elsewhere could lead to disorder, following online postings by far-right agitators demanding that shops be closed by 5.30pm and streets sealed off.
One widely distributed message called for participants to “prepare to fight or be arrested” – as a target list of 70 towns and cities across Britain was disseminated on social media. Far-right leader Tommy Robinson shared the list.
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There are fears that the attack will be used to inflame public opinion by conflating it with demands for tighter immigration controls.
