{"id":327871,"date":"2026-06-11T05:24:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=327871"},"modified":"2026-06-12T07:43:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T07:43:12","slug":"quick-takethe-well-timed-belfast-riots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=327871","title":{"rendered":"Quick Take\u2026The (Well-Timed) Belfast Riots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kit Knightly \u2013 Off-Guardian June 10, 2026<\/strong><\/h1>\n

On Monday night, a Sudanese immigrant allegedly attacked a man on the streets of Belfast in an attempt to decapitate him.<\/p>\n

Bystanders intervened, as the story goes, the attack was stopped and the victim \u2013 named as one Stephen Ogilvie \u2013 survived having suffered severe injuries, including the loss of his left eye<\/a>. He\u2019s reportedly in a medically induced coma.<\/p>\n

The attacker was identified as 30-year-old\u00a0 Hadi Alodid. He was allegedly detained by police and taken to a local hospital where he received treatment for injuries to his hand. During this treatment, police report, the suspect threatened the life of a nurse.<\/p>\n

Alodid appeared in court\u00a0 \u2013 via video link \u2013\u00a0 earlier today<\/a>, speaking through an Arabic translator and having refused legal representation. Bail was refused and he has been remanded in custody.<\/p>\n

Those are the facts of the case so far \u2013 as reported in the media.<\/p>\n

The fallout has been \u201cSouthport-style\u201d riots in Belfast, resulting \u2013 again according to the media \u2013\u00a0 in the burning of several vehicles and one house<\/a>. Rioters were reportedly targeting houses they believed to house immigrants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The victim\u2019s family has made the usual statement condemning violence and asking the attack not be politicised whilst praising the role of migrants in our society:<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Politicians have been leapfrogging each other to make very predictable speeches on both sides of the issue, either citing \u201ccultural incompatibility\u201d and open borders or just \u201ccalling for restraint\u201d.<\/p>\n

The timing of all of this is very interesting.<\/p>\n

As we have covered in detail, the UK is in the midst of a \u201ccontroversy\u201d over social media \u2013 with the government moving to ban children from accessing it or bring in other tyrannical measures for the purposes of harvesting private data.<\/p>\n

In a similar vein, five days ago, Labour\u2019s deputy Leader Lucy Powell was calling for a \u201cmisinformation clampdown\u201d<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall was in the papers<\/a> expressing \u201cconcern\u201d over the role of social media during times of unrest<\/em>, and wishing they could \u201cdo more\u201d (our emphasis):<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely think, particularly during moments of crisis<\/em> and disorder and when public safety is important, we need to look at what more we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Monday, the think-tank<\/a> Social Market Foundation published a new report on the dangers of misinformation, \u201cNo news is bad news: The hidden threat of unchecked local misinformation\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday morning, it was reported that OfCom<\/a> \u2013 newly empowered by the Online Safety Act \u2013 wanted social media giants to implement government-ordered \u201ccrisis protocols\u201d to stop \u201cillegal content going viral\u201d during times of \u201cnational crisis\u201d in order to reduce \u201cthe risk to public safety\u201d. They cited the recent unrest in Southampton over the Henry Dowak killing as an example.<\/p>\n

By Tuesday evening, a \u201cmoment of crisis\u201d had indeed begun in Belfast.<\/p>\n

The riots have already been blamed on \u201cdangerous misinformation\u201d<\/a>, with high-ranking MPs calling for a crackdown on \u201chatred and violence\u201d on social media\u2026<\/p>\n

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\uf6a8 WATCH: Ed Davey calls on Keir Starmer to crack down on platforms like X which are “fuelling violence”<\/p>\n

Starmer: “We will crack down on anyone who is fuelling this division” #PMQs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/MjvQKGjusM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 10, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n