Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Belfast Erupts in Violence
That headline looks like something from the 1970s or 1980s, before the Good Friday Agreement that ended the sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics. Today, that headlines speaks to a more recent issue, the inability of the immigrants who have settled in Northern Ireland to find a place in a new land. Anti-immigrant feeling is, of course, stupid, but that does not prevent it from being widespread. Despite the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, one need not love each and every neighbor; toleration is an acceptable response. If Northern Ireland is to avoid a return to violence, this nonsense has to stop now.
The ugliness began with a stabbing. A refugee named Hadi Alodid stabbed Stephen Ogilvy Monday in a brutal attack that was recorded by a witness. The latest is that Mr. Ogilvy will survive, but he has lost an eye.
The BBC reports, "Police previously said the suspect was a 30-year-old Sudanese man. He entered the UK in 2023 and was given refugee status."
The Beeb also said, "The suspect, Hadi Alodid, was remanded in custody for four weeks. He was charged with attempted murder, threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife."
Stabbings happen with too much regularity, but this takes on a greater dimension because most stabbings to not result in bildings being burned and families terrorized. One must be clear, this is morally and legally a bigger problem because of the ethnicities of the attacker and victim. It should not matter, but it does.
There are people in every society who enjoy nothing more than making their fellows miserable, the bullies who prefer violence to any other form of entertainment. During the Troubles, these oiks ran rampant, making life hard for a generation. Since the Good Friday Agreement, they have had to get real jobs (most of them anyway), but last night, it was Christmas morning for them. They came back with a vengeance.
Again from the BBC:
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, he says it's easy for young people to get "carried away with a tide" by looking online and be "persuaded by people who know nothing about Northern Ireland.
"Stop listening to these idiots. We will be going after them for the incitement they will be doing."
Boutcher says he won't name individuals, adding that people inciting protesters last night know who they are.
As always, there is reason to hope. The Ogilvy family are acting like genuine Christians, "We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward," the family say. "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."
The key to all of this appears to be police resources in the short-term. Northern Ireland needs more policing to deter and to investigate. In the longer term, though, police cannot fix this. Immigration is not a matter best addressed with badges and batons. Assimilation and integration must occur, and that is a two-way street. The immigrants need to adapt and the country welcoming them must be flexible in how far that adaptation must go. This means government resources and, ideally, a booming local economy. It is hard to hate when everyone is getting richer.
The people of Northern Ireland are being tested. It remains to be seen if they have the right stuff. This journal, however, is cheering for the province, its police and its people. All of its people.
© Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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