Getty ImagesThe family of the victim of the Belfast stabbing has released a statement calling out “unrest” and saying they don’t want the attack to be used to “divide people or fuel hostility“.
Stephen Ogilvie is in hospital having lost his left eye in a knife attack on Monday.
Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese man, appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court charged with attempting to murder Mr Ogilvie, threatening to kill an NHS radiographer on the same day and possessing a knife.
Alodid was remanded in custody. The reaction to the incident saw mobs set homes, a bus and cars on fire, with people targeted based on their race.
Anti-immigration demonstrations across Scotland followed.
“We are completely devastated by the horrific attack on our loved one on Kinnaird Avenue,” Mr Ogilvie’s family said in a statement shared via Northern Irish politician Phillip Brett.
“This has been a massive shock to our whole family, and right now, our only priority is being at his bedside and helping him recover.
“We want to say a profound thank you to the local people who bravely stepped in during the attack. Your quick actions absolutely saved his life, and we will never forget what you did for him in that moment. We also want to thank the emergency services and the doctors and nurses looking after him.
“We are aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident. We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward.
“We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.
“We are asking the media and the public to please give us some space. We need privacy to focus on our family right now, without cameras or people speculating about what happened.
”If you know anything at all about the attack, or saw anything strange near Kinnaird Avenue, please go to the police.
”Thank you for respecting our privacy.”
Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the disorder was a “huge act of self-harm by mindless idiots who are actually only damaging their own futures”.
Alodid, who was given five years’ leave to remain in the UK after entering from Ireland, appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with attempting to murder Mr Ogilvie, threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife.
He was remanded in custody for four weeks at the brief hearing.
The PSNI launched a “critical incident” in response to the incident which was captured on video and appears to show a man stabbing at the victim’s head and neck while he was lying on the ground.
The clip shows people, including one with a hurling stick, intervening to stop the attack in the Kinnaird Avenue residential area close to the busy Antrim Road in north Belfast.
A kitchen knife was recovered from the scene.
Police have revealed details on Alodid’s immigration status and how he travelled to the UK.
He entered Northern Ireland across the Irish border in February 2023 having flown to Dublin from Paris.
The suspect claimed asylum upon arrival and in September 2023 was granted leave to remain in the UK until 2028.
Prime Minister 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.
“It is clear that people were targeted last night because of their background and I will not tolerate it.
“Those responsible will feel the full force of the law.”
Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister Naomi Long said social media agitators who “yesterday would have struggled to find Belfast on a map” were “weaponising the fear that people genuinely have about what happened”.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
