There was a second night of rioting and unrest in Belfast last night following a serious stabbing incident for which a Sudanese man has been charged. Police deployed a water cannon as protests in Belfast and in Derry spilled over into violence. There were also reports of petrol bombs being used. It follow a night of serious rioting on Tuesday when 27 people – many of them making up immigrant families – were made homeless after mobs attacked their homes. In our main story this morning, Seanín Graham reports on the latest developments and the political implications. The attack on Stephen Ogilvie on Monday was shocking and he sustained serious injuries. Yesterday, his family issued a statement condemning the widespread violence, as did the police and politicians. As Graham reports, Northern Ireland executive ministers issued a joint statement in which they “collectively and unequivocally” condemned the “disorder, violence and intimidation we witnessed in our communities”. They urged people to “reject violence, reject division and allow the rule of law to prevail”.“The eyes of the world are watching us this week and the actions we take, as individuals and as a society, will shape how we are viewed and how our communities move forward,” they said.And they are. The attack, its aftermath and the violence have made the front pages of all the broadsheets in London. The Financial Times reported that Belfast was braced for further rioting as the city counted the cost of violence. The Guardian’s lead focused on a water cannon being used while the London Times and the Daily Telegraph both criticised the use of Ireland as an entry point for migrants into the UK. The pattern of events is very similar to what we have seen elsewhere, including south of the Border. A single incident involving a migrant becomes a trigger that mobilises mobs, often from the poorest communities. Peaceful protests quickly descend into communal violence. Inevitably, there are elements who know how these events become flashpoints and deliberately whip up unrest and anger by calling people on to the street, knowing well what is going to happen. Nowadays, it happens through social media. There were posts from Elon Musk encouraging people to protest repeatedly and loudly. He shared a post from English far-right actor Tommy Robinson, who was suggesting places where people could gather. An open BorderThe Irish Border and Common Travel Area are under scrutiny, as reflected by the lead stories in the London Times and the Daily Telegraph which suggested it was being used by migrants to get into the UK. The debate was stoked by the disclosure that Hadi Alodid, the man charged with attempted murder following the Belfast knife attack, had lived in France before travelling from Paris to Dublin and on to Belfast, where he made a claim for asylum. Cormac McQuinn reports that DUP leader Gavan Robinson made a call in the House of Commons yesterday for the “open porous Border” between Ireland and Northern Ireland to be closed while Northern Secretary Hilary Benn said there were questions for the Irish authorities to answer. The Common Travel Area, the Belfast Agreement and, more latterly, Brexit, have all given rise to a very unusual situation where the Border between the Republic and Northern Ireland is the only open land border of the EU. And it works both ways. The evidence is that over the past few years, more people have crossed the Border going southwards to make asylum claims than have travelled in the other direction.Taoiseach Micheál Martin defended the Common Travel Area yesterday but acknowledged there were issues with crossings that needed to be addressed by authorities on either side. “Others may abuse the Common Travel Area,” he said, but “it’s primarily a framework for citizens”.“There are issues both ways that we can only really address by proper engagement between the two governments and in particular between the home secretary and Minister for Justice.”Protests in DublinThe incidents in Belfast gave rise to a protest in Dublin that included a march from O’Connell Street to the Dáil. As Jack White reports, the protest was relatively small and there was no violence though it was noisy with some protesters hurled abuse at politicians around Leinster House. In the initial speeches, the Government was labelled “treasonous” by some speakers. As White writes, some were draped in Tricolours and chanted “Get them out!” and “Whose streets? Our streets”.Barricades were erected in the vicinity of Leinster House and the protest did cause traffic disruption in the city centre. But it petered out around 4pm without any serious incident. Digital ID proposed to enforce age restrictions on porn sitesPeople in Ireland who use pornography websites could be required to use a digital Government ID to prove they are over 18, Ellen Coyne reports.State agency Cuan has suggested age verification software should be introduced and the Department of Communications suggested it might form part of the “digital wallet” it is pilot testing. It is apparently in Beta form at the moment. But the small print has to be read. As with many other things in Ireland, the speed of travel between decision/proposal and implementation is never fast. It is six months since it was suggested following Australia’s decision to restrict social media access for under 16s. In the meantime, other EU countries such as France have fast-tracked such measures, including age verification for porn sites. The UK has introduced measures to ensure those under 19 have no access to pornography online, with the web site Pornhub reporting a fall of 77 per cent in UK online traffic to its site since then. Best readsMiriam Lord embraces the spirit of the World Cup in describing the exchanges between Opposition and Government TDs over the Stop the Game motions. Most Government TDs did not even tog out for the occasion. Marie O’Halloran reports the Government argued that the White report on Bill Kenneally’s sexual abuse of boys showed there was no conspiracy or State cover-up. In his impressive maiden speech, the Social Democrats new TD Daniel Ennis, a former professional player, made a plea for the Israel game to be abandoned. Nic Henderson of the Irish Refugee Council defends the integrity of the asylum system in Ireland. PlaybookDáil Éireann8.47am: Questions to Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien10.23am: Questions to Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan12pm: Leaders’ Questions1.52pm: Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 – Second Stage5.26pm: Topical Issues6.26pm: Private Members’ Bill. 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