By IO Digest Desk
Police in Northern Ireland deployed water cannon on 2026-06-10 as a second night of unrest spread beyond Belfast, with officers facing projectile attacks in Newtownabbey while other protests across the region remained tense but largely peaceful, according to BBC live reporting cited from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and on-the-ground correspondents.[13484]
The most serious disorder was reported around the Sandyknowes roundabout in Glengormley, just outside Belfast. The BBC said roughly 200 people gathered there, with some hurling bricks, rocks, bottles and other missiles at police. Officers in riot gear advanced repeatedly, backed by at least two water cannon vehicles, as they attempted to force the crowd away from the road and prevent further damage.[13484]
According to the BBC’s reporting from the scene, rioters pulled paving stones and pieces of nearby walls apart to create more projectiles. Bins were set alight and small fires appeared in the roadway. Later in the evening, a derelict building near a local petrol station was set on fire and quickly engulfed in flames. A van was also pushed toward police lines and ignited before officers repelled a brief surge by the crowd.[13484]
The disorder formed part of a wider regional response to the knife attack in north Belfast earlier in the week. The BBC said this was the second consecutive night of unrest after homes and cars had been burned on Tuesday. In addition to the violence in Newtownabbey, there were gatherings in Coleraine, roadblocks and a smaller episode of disorder in Londonderry near the Tullyally estate, where youths burned items including wheelie bins and a salt box. Other demonstrations, including one at Stormont, passed without major incident.[13484]
Police also had to manage an information crisis alongside the violence. The family of Stephen Ogilvie, the victim of Monday’s stabbing, issued a statement through the PSNI saying false claims were circulating on social media. They said he was in a stable condition and stressed that the unrest seen over the previous two days did not have their support, repeating that peaceful protest was the only acceptable course. The BBC also reported that police warned a so-called “hit-list” being shared online was totally unacceptable and that passing it on could amount to a criminal offence.[13484]
The legal case linked to the original attack was moving at the same time. The suspect, Hadi Alodid, was remanded in custody for four weeks, charged with attempted murder, threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife. Police had previously identified him as a 30-year-old Sudanese man who entered the UK in 2023 and was granted refugee status.[13484]
Political figures quoted by the BBC urged calm even while acknowledging public anger and fear. DUP assembly member Julia Middleton said frustration was not a justification for reckless behavior. SDLP councillor Martin Reilly said concerns around immigration could not be used to excuse violence or major disruption to daily life. Their comments underscored the split between peaceful protest and targeted disorder that ran through the day’s events.[13484]
The BBC’s own team was caught directly in the hostility. After filming near Sandyknowes, journalists said masked men approached them and one large stone smashed through the back window of their car as they drove away. That incident illustrated how the unrest had widened beyond confrontations with police into a broader atmosphere of intimidation and opportunistic violence.[13484]
By late evening, the heavy police deployment appeared to have contained the worst of the clashes, but only after a far more forceful response than on the previous night. Based on the available evidence, the significance of 2026-06-10 was not only that police resorted to water cannon, but that unrest initially tied to one stabbing case had become a mobile, multi-site public-order crisis fueled by rumor, anger and attacks on both officers and bystanders.[13484]
