Police Scotland say racist attacks hit Glasgow after Belfast knife assault

Police Scotland said people were attacked in Glasgow “because of the colour of their skin” after hundreds of masked protesters marched through the city centre on Tuesday evening, leaving two officers and three members of the public injured. Three men, aged 18, 18 and 31, were arrested and charged as officers moved to contain disorder that flared after a knife attack in Belfast the night before.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said there was “no place for racism and violence in Scotland” and said officers had faced attacks on both the public and police. The violence in Glasgow unfolded while smaller peaceful demonstrations took place in Edinburgh, Falkirk, Perth, Ayr and Paisley, where police made no arrests.

The Glasgow unrest followed a separate and escalating crisis in Belfast, where a 30-year-old Sudanese man named in reporting as Hadi Alodid was charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie. Court reporting said Mr Ogilvie lost his left eye, suffered damage to his right eye, and had injuries to his neck and back. Belfast police said the attack was not being treated as terrorism, although counter-terrorism officials were involved in the investigation.

Police Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the suspect had been granted leave to remain in the UK in 2023 and was not known to Police Service of Northern Ireland. The victim’s family urged people not to “divide” communities or “fuel hostility,” saying migrants make a “deeply valuable contribution” to the UK and that peaceful protest was the only way forward.

The unrest in Belfast had already spiraled into wider disorder, with cars, homes and a bus set on fire and public transport suspended. Police said they had requested mutual aid from other UK forces as tensions spread, a sign of how quickly a violent attack can be turned into retaliatory street unrest when rumour and anger outrun facts.