Yes, reports confirm this is happening amid violent anti-immigration unrest in Belfast.
Context
- Trigger: The protests erupted after a brutal stabbing in north Belfast. A 30-year-old Sudanese man (an asylum seeker) was charged with attempted murder following a knife attack that left a victim with serious neck and head wounds. A graphic video of the incident circulated widely, fueling anger.
- Actions by protesters: On June 9-10, 2026, hundreds (including masked groups, some with youths) took to the streets. They set vehicles (including a bus), bins, and buildings on fire, blocked roads, and targeted properties linked to migrants. Specific reports describe groups going door-to-door in areas like east Belfast: kicking in doors, smashing windows, setting homes ablaze, and forcing residents (believed to be migrants) to flee. Some homes and foreign-owned businesses were also vandalized with racist graffiti.
This matches your description closely. Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned it as “groups of masked men burning families out of their homes” and “disgusting cowardice.”
Broader picture
- Police deployed armored vehicles and responded to riots. Leaders (including UK figures) have called for calm and against inciting hate.
- This fits a pattern of heightened tensions over immigration, asylum housing, and crime in parts of the UK and Ireland, with similar unrest in other areas. Some locals express frustration over resource strain and specific incidents, while authorities and others highlight risks of vigilantism and collective punishment.
