Nigel Farage urged to condemn ‘race-based pogrom’ in Belfast

Nigel Farage is facing calls to condemn last night’s riots in Belfast, which broke out in the wake of an attempted beheading of a local man.

A Sudanese man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the attack.

Farage responded to the brutal attack on Monday stating that it was “horrific”.

The Reform leader then urged for the nationality and immigration status of the attacker to be revealed, adding: “The authorities must reveal the identity and status of the attacker immediately.”

He also suggested information was being withheld from the public, adding: “The public are entitled to the truth.”

Reform’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf also wrote an inflammatory post, stating: The horror of what you have seen in Belfast is a direct result of treacherous Tory and Labour immigration policy.

“Reform has already announced a TOTAL BAN ON VISAS FOR ANYONE FROM SUDAN. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”

It has separately been pointed out that Reform MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick were Home Secretary and Immigration minister in February 2023 when the suspect entered the UK and was granted a five-year visa.

In the aftermath of the knife attack, far-right agitator Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk also seized upon the attack to promote their anti-immigration stance. 

On X, Robinson wrote: “The whole of the United Kingdom is hitting the streets tonight at 7pm following yet another invader attack on our people.”

The post was viewed by 7.8 million people, and shared by Elon Musk, who said: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”.

A post by the far-right party Restore Britain read: “Do not make peace with evil. Destroy it.”

Overnight, riots broke out in Belfast, with rioters setting fire to houses, cars and buses.

Claire Hanna, the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and MP for Belfast South and Mid Down, has called the riots a “race-based pogrom”, saying that “We are seeing men going door to door asking to get the foreigners out based exclusively on the colour of their skin.”

Since Farage’s intervention about the suspect’s nationality and immigration status, he has remained quiet, and has not condemned the riots. 

In response, journalist Owen Jones asked Farage on X: “Are you going to say anything about the riots in Belfast which Reform helped whip up last night?”.

Dan Hodges, a columnist for the Mail on Sunday, wrote: “Really shouldn’t be hard for Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf to condemn this.”

Another X user wrote: “Reform UK and Nigel Farage are quiet about the Belfast riots they helped whip up.

“There were people in balaclavas and guns stopping cars looking for Black and Brown people.”

In a statement about the rioting last night, Keir Starmer said: “The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable.

“There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere.”

The prime minister said that “it is clear people were targeted last night because of their background” and that he would “not tolerate it”.

He added that “Those responsible will feel the full force of the law.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward