A Belfast supermarket has been severely damaged in riots that erupted after a knife attack, with footage showing its entrance reduced to ash and metal gates torn open. The grocery store, which specialises in Middle Eastern foods, had already been targeted during anti-immigration protests in 2024.
This morning’s images revealed the extent of the destruction: the front of the shop was gutted, the interior seriously damaged, and the metal security gates ripped apart. It is believed the supermarket was deliberately singled out. The current ownership is unclear.
Previous targeting during 2024 anti-immigration riots
The same shop was attacked in August 2024 during a wave of unrest that swept across England and Northern Ireland. Those riots were triggered by the Southport stabbings on 29 July 2024, when a 17-year-old, Axel Rudakubana, killed three children and injured ten others at a dance studio in Merseyside. He was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 52 years.
False claims circulated by far-right groups and some politicians falsely described the perpetrator as a Muslim and an asylum seeker, fuelling Islamophobic, racist and anti-immigrant sentiment. From 30 July to 5 August 2024, violent protests erupted in multiple towns and cities, described as the largest social unrest in England since 2011.
In Belfast, anti-immigration demonstrators clashed with anti-racism protesters outside City Hall. After being blocked from marching on the Belfast Islamic Centre, they turned on immigrant-owned businesses on Botanic Avenue. Further violence occurred in the Sandy Row area, where a supermarket and a café run by immigrants were burnt out. Cars were set alight and missiles thrown at police, injuring three officers. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was treating the criminal damage as hate crimes and made arrests.
The manager of the supermarket at that time, Bashir, stated his business was targeted because of racism against Islam and Muslims. He said the Muslim community was “living in fear” and questioned the police response. He reported that the shop had been firebombed on three separate occasions and that masked men had attacked him – he “almost got killed.” The owner, Abdelkader Alloush, had arrived in Northern Ireland in 2016 after fleeing the war in Syria.
Jamal Ghabes, the shop’s butcher at the time, told the BBC he no longer felt safe in Northern Ireland and relocated his business elsewhere in Belfast. He later said: “It’s better now. I’m glad I stayed.”
By August 2025, the 2024 riots had led to 1,840 arrests and 1,103 charges. At least 177 people were imprisoned, with sentences averaging around two years. In a notable shift, racially motivated hate crimes in Northern Ireland eclipsed sectarian-motivated offences for the first time. During the protests, demonstrators were seen carrying both Irish and UK flags – a rare occurrence in Northern Ireland that suggested a change in the nature of conflict.
Knife attack sparks fresh violence
The latest unrest began after a knife attack on Monday night in north Belfast. The victim, named by neighbours as Stephen Ogilvie, was attacked on Kinnaird Road at around 10.30pm and left with serious injuries. A 30-year-old Sudanese national was arrested and later charged with attempted murder, possession of an article with a blade or point in a public place, and making threats to kill. Police initially said they believed the suspect was from Somalia. He lived close to where the attack took place.
Footage of the stabbing spread online, prompting anti-immigration demonstrations across Belfast and beyond. Rioters set homes and cars on fire, confronted police and attacked vehicles. A police Land Rover was damaged on the Crumlin Road, and a Glider bus was set ablaze on the Newtownards Road. Several fires broke out around the city.
In a separate but related episode of violence in Northern Ireland, riots broke out in Ballymena in June 2025 after two Romanian Roma teenagers were charged with attempted rape. That unrest also targeted ethnic minorities and law enforcement.
Residents recount night of terror
Jamie Corry, who has lived on Lendrick Street for 13 years, said he confronted rioters before they set his car on fire. “Once I saw the flames starting to get bigger and bigger, I moved away from my property, I moved down the street, and watched it all,” he recalled. He entered his home on Wednesday morning to assess the damage. “It’s destroyed, top to bottom it’s completely destroyed,” he said.
