Police warn over Belfast address list amid anti-immigration riots

An online list of Belfast home addresses pushed the city’s anti-immigration unrest beyond street violence and into deliberate intimidation. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it received calls from distressed residents, landlords, neighbors and other community members after the addresses circulated on WhatsApp, X and other social channels, with one copy found online containing more than two dozen Belfast addresses.

The list appeared to focus heavily on Houses in Multiple Occupation, or HMOs, the shared homes often used as cheaper accommodation by migrants. Police warned that people sharing material intended to endanger others, or posting threatening or abusive content, may be committing a criminal offence. Belfast City Council later removed a register of HMOs after the addresses were posted online, but by then the information had already spread.

The unrest was triggered by a knife attack on Monday, June 8, 2026, when Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese man, was charged with attempted murder, possession of a bladed weapon in a public place and making threats to kill. The victim, Stephen Ogilvie, suffered serious injuries, including the loss of an eye and wounds to his face and neck. Two nights of disorder followed, with masked rioters setting fire to homes, vehicles, a bus and trash cans, while throwing rocks and other missiles at police.

Michelle O’Neill condemned the violence as “disgusting cowardice” and said racism, intimidation and violence were wrong. Naomi Long also criticised far-right voices for stoking racial tensions, while Keir Starmer said the attacks were unacceptable and that people were being targeted because of their background. Community workers described a climate of fear, and some Eritrean refugees in Belfast said they were considering leaving because they no longer felt safe.

The address lists did not emerge overnight. Accountability Project Northern Ireland said it had warned police for eight months about their circulation, and said it first saw them in August 2025. The group said it filed 10 reports to the PSNI between November 2025 and April 2026, including specific addresses sent in January. That suggests the targeting of migrant homes had been building well before the riots broke out.

The disorder also spread beyond central Belfast. Masked rioters clashed with police near the Chimney Corner Hotel in Newtownabbey, where water cannon were used in Sandyknowes, while unrest was also reported in Glengormley, Derry, Stormont and Coleraine. Social media posts helped mobilise protesters, including one that shared names and addresses of immigration lawyers and law firms and urged “patriots” to act.