Belfast girds for more violence as stabbing suspect held

By Peter Murphy with Peter Hutchison in London, AFP

Youths gather in front of a burning barricade on Duncairn Gardens on June 9, 2026 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland is bracing for a potential second night of violence directed at immigrants, following unrest that UK authorities say was stoked by far-right activists on social media after a brutal Belfast stabbing.

The Northern Irish capital's centre was largely deserted by late afternoon on Wednesday (all times local), with restaurants and shops shuttered and public transport poised to close amid fears of a repeat of Tuesday night's disorder.

But the main flashpoints 24 hours earlier appeared quiet as evening approached, with some schools shutting early and police bolstering their presence on the city's riot-scarred streets.