Belfast stabbing latest: Homes and cars set ablaze as protesters accused of ‘thuggery’ after knife attack

Belfast stabbing latest: Homes and cars set ablaze as protesters accused of ‘thuggery’ after knife attack Anti-immigration demonstration took place in Belfast in response to Monday night’s stabbing attack in the city - Bookmark Homes and cars were set alight across Belfast on Tuesday evening after hundreds of protesters took to the streets in response to Monday night’s stabbing attack in the city. Residents had to be removed from burning houses in east Belfast as a crowd kicked in doors and broke windows of homes nearby, according to the BBC. Prior to the protests, police said a man, 30, who is Sudanese, had been charged with attempted murder over the stabbing attack. He is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court later on Wednesday. Despite calls for calm from police and political leaders, anti-immigration demonstrations in Belfast turned violent on Tuesday night. A Glider bus was set alight in east Belfast, prompting all bus and train services to be suspended. In Lendrick Street in Belfast, several cars were set alight and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service officers had to remove some residents from houses after they caught fire. A number of houses and vehicles were set on fire near the Ligoniel Road area of Belfast and a police car was set alight in Portadown. Northern Ireland secretary Hillary Benn said people were “rightly shocked” by the attacked, but condemned “thuggery” that he said was “putting innocent lives at risk”. Recap: Cars set on fire in streets of Belfast following protests 'Never seen anything like it' - resident says on attack One person who alerted police to the attack has told the BBC she first heard screaming outside. She said a delivery driver then handed her his phone to speak to a 999 operator. She said she was “standing in the street shaking” during the call, adding “never seen anything like it”. The victim of the attack, aged in his 40s, continues to receive treatment in hospital for serious eye, face and back wounds. In pictures: Police respond to disorder sweeping Belfast First minister condemns protests as 'disgusting cowardice' First minister Michelle O’Neill took to social media late on Tuesday to condemn the violent protests sweeping Northern Ireland as nothing but “disgusting cowardice”. “This has nothing to do with community. This is outright thuggery,” she said, appealing for calm. “The attack in North Belfast was heinous and wrong. But there are dangerous attempts to exploit that to target and attack innocent people who are simply trying to live, work and raise their families here.” Full report: Calls for calm after ‘sickening’ Belfast knife attack leaves man with significant injuries Sir Keir Starmer and police have called for calm after a stabbing attack condemned as “sickening” by the prime minister sent shockwaves through Belfast. Officers have declared a critical incident in response to the attack, which took place on Monday night on Kinnaird Avenue, a residential part of the city. Horrifying video circulating online, which is too graphic to publish in full, appears to show a man with a knife pinning another man down on the ground and repeatedly stabbing him. Calls for calm after ‘sickening’ Belfast knife attack Violent protests diverting police resources away from where they are most needed, says justice minister Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long denounced those causing “wanton damage” on the streets as hundreds came out in protest on Tuesday. She said: “There is no place for masked thugs to take to the streets and threaten, intimidate, disrupt and cause wanton damage – it is simply disingenuous to claim this is being carried out for the good of Northern Ireland.” She added: “Disorder on the streets, such as we are seeing tonight, is diverting valuable police resources away from those who genuinely need them. “These are not the actions of people who genuinely care about their communities.” In pictures: Firefighters bring blaze under control on Ligoniel Road Hero bystanders who intervened in Belfast knife attack praised as ‘best of humanity’ Members of the public who intervened in a stabbing attack in Belfast have been praised as “the very best of humanity”. Footage on social media shows people, including one with a hurling stick, attempting to stop a man while he was attacking his victim in the residential area close to the busy Antrim Road in north Belfast on Monday night. A man has since been charged with attempted murder by Northern Ireland Police, and will appear at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. Hero bystanders who intervened in Belfast knife attack praised as ‘best of humanity’ Politicians must address the immigration 'debate', says former first minister Also speaking to BBC Newsnight, Baroness Foster, former DUP first minister of Northern Ireland, said politicians must address the “debate” around immigration. “The Chief Constable is absolutely right when he says it's not for him to answer questions about immigration,” she said. “It's for the politicians to answer questions about immigration. And that's where the debate has to take place.” “The debate has take place by politicians and not through police officers who are trying to deal with what happened yesterday and what is happening today on our streets,” she argued.