Violent protests swept through Belfast, Northern Ireland, following the brutal stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie, who lost an eye when a Sudanese immigrant pinned him down and attempted to behead him before bystanders intervened. Gruesome video of the attack went viral and triggered a wave of anti-immigrant protests overnight.

Hundreds of masked protesters stormed immigrant neighborhoods and torched homes and vehicles, burning people out of their homes. Police said that many of those targeted were Black.

The 30-year-old assailant crossed into Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland in 2023, applied for asylum, and was granted a five-year stay. He appeared in court Wednesday, facing charges of attempted murder, threatening to kill a radiographer and possessing a knife. He refused the offer of legal representation via a translator.

“I’ve lived on my street for almost 10 years, I have a good relationship with my neighbors, but last night was a horrific one,” Anselme Shima, a Congolese immigrant who became a Belfast resident 10 years ago, told Reuters. “We don’t know what to do. I’m scared. Seeing this, I’m wondering if I’m next.”

Top-ranking politicians slammed the actions of the protesters.

“Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” First Minister Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein declared.

“Taking frustration at the evil actions of a person out on those who had no part in it is utterly wrong,” said Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party.

“The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in a statement on X. “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.”

Other politicians called for a review of the open-border policy between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which is an independent country. The policy formed part of the peace process between the two entities that ended the conflict in Ireland known as “The Troubles,” which killed thousands of people.

The victim’s family called for calm in the wake of the horrific stabbing.

“We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, ​and peaceful protest is the only way forward,” the family said in a statement. “We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country … ​We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility.”