Clashes erupt as police use water cannon near Belfast amid anti-migrant protests

Police in Northern Ireland used water cannons on Wednesday night to disperse protesters in Newtownabbey, north of Belfast, during a second evening of unrest linked to anti-migrant sentiment. Masked demonstrators threw bricks, rocks, and bottles at officers, started street fires, and damaged property. A highway maintenance vehicle was also set ablaze.

Aerial footage showed groups piling up debris and confronting riot police. The violence followed a knife attack in Belfast on Monday that left a man seriously injured and blind in one eye. A 30-year-old Sudanese asylum seeker appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder, possession of a knife, and making threats to kill.