Protesters have set fire to a bus in Belfast as disorder flared at an anti-immigration demonstration organised in response to Monday night’s stabbing attack in the city. Masked males set commercial bins alight and pushed them into the Glider bus on the Newtownards Road in the east of the city on Tuesday evening. It came as a large crowd gathered in the area for a scheduled anti-immigration protest.Earlier, a man arrested on suspicion of the Belfast knife attack was charged with attempted murder.The 30-year-old accused, who is Sudanese, is also charged with possession of an article with a blade or point in a public place and making threats to kill. He is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. Police and political leaders have appealed for calm. Northern Ireland police Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “I understand that last night’s [incident] will leave people feeling enraged with emotions, from fear to anger, but please, please let the PSNI do their job, unfettered and undistracted by wider concerns there may be about disorder.”In pictures: Bus set alight(PA)(PA)(Sky News)Jane Dalton9 June 2026 20:31Belfast crowd set fire to busProtesters in Belfast have set a bus alight and pushed a burning wheelie bin into it.Groups of people - many in hoodies - were milling around in the street.Jane Dalton9 June 2026 20:19Crowd halts Belfast trafficSeveral cars have been blocked from getting onto the M2 in Belfast near Yorkgate, the BBC reports, because people in dark clothing are standing in front of them, bringing traffic to a standstill.Jane Dalton9 June 2026 19:58Police turn crowd back In Southampton, dozens of police officers were deployed to block protesters moving along Portswood Road as they walked from the Highfield House Hotel.The demonstrators walked in the road, chanting and waving banners, blocking traffic as they went, after counter-protesters left the area.To stop the crowd moving further, a line of police officers blocked their path and the group stopped and began chanting: “I can’t breathe”.More officers then joined their colleagues, before the group turned and walked back along the road.Jane Dalton9 June 2026 19:51Pictured: Protesters gather in Belfast(AP)Jane Dalton9 June 2026 19:45Crowds gather in BelfastCrowds are gathering at sites in Belfast following the knife attack.A number of people are on the Newtownards Road in the east of the city.A crowd is also gathering close to the Crumlin Road roundabout.There had been calls on social media for protests to take place across Northern Ireland following the attack on Monday night.Jane Dalton9 June 2026 19:30MPs call for calm as Musk and Tommy Robinson urge protesters onCabinet minister Bridget Phillipson said the worst possible response to violence “would be further violence or disorder”.Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice said: “Calm is essential following the brutal attack in Belfast last night.”But far-right activist Tommy Robinson and tech billionaire Elon Musk amplified calls for people to take to the streets in response to the Belfast attack.Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, posted lists of locations where protests may take place, saying “the whole of the United Kingdom is hitting the streets tonight” following “another invader attack on our people”.Musk posted: “Only by protesting repeatedly and loudly will there be any change!!” Jane Dalton9 June 2026 19:25Man also charged with possessing blade and making threats to killA man charged with attempted murder after the Belfast knife attack is also charged with possession of an article with blade or point in a public place and making threats to kill, police say.The 30-year-old accused, who is Sudanese, is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.Jane Dalton9 June 2026 19:18Man under arrest charged with attempted murderBreaking news: A 30 year-old man arrested in connection with the Belfast stabbing has been charged with attempted murder and will appear in court in the city on Wednesday, the Police Service of Northern Ireland says.Jane Dalton9 June 2026 19:01Protest begins outside asylum hotel Dozens of protesters have gathered outside a hotel used to house asylum-seekers in Southampton.The demonstrators held Union and St George flags as they gathered outside Highfield House Hotel.Organisers of the “flash protest” said it was in response to the “disgusting video we are witnessing”, in what is understood to be a reference to the stabbing in Belfast.Banners read “no racism, just patriotism”, “enough is enough” and “end two tier policing, end two tier justice”.They chanted “secure our borders, mass deportation” and “stop the boats, send them home”. A smaller group of counter-demonstrators holding Stand Up To Racism placards stood along the pavement across the road.(PA)Jane Dalton9 June 2026 18:54