Belfast stabbing victim’s family have condemned violent riots that saw houses torched, forcing families to flee, as “not welcome.”
According to Independent, relatives of Stephen Ogilvie, who lost an eye in Monday night’s attack, said they were “horrified” by what happened to him.
However, they insisted that they did not want the incident to stoke division, after migrant families were targeted by rioters.
They defended migrants, who they said “make a deeply valuable contribution” to Northern Ireland, and called for peaceful protests going forward.
Ogilvie’s family said, ”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,” the statement added.
The intervention came after cars were set alight as tensions over immigration flared when it was revealed that the alleged attacker, Hadi Alodid, was an asylum seeker who had come to the UK from Sudan.
Racist rioting across Belfast following the knife attack saw mobs of masked men set homes, a bus and cars on fire, with people targeted based on their race.
The suspect appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, June 10, charged in relation to the attack, which left Ogilvie with deep cuts to his head, face and back.
