BEFLAST councillor Paul McCusker has described the scenes in his north Belfast district as “totally outrageous” after the brutal stabbing and a night of unrest that sent shockwaves across Northern Ireland's capital and around the world.
Mr McCusker's comments come as political leaders on both sides of the Irish Sea condemned the violence.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil the scenes were “absolutely appalling”, while UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the stabbing “sickening.”
At the Stormont Assembly, First Minister Michelle O’Neill, deputy First Minister Emma Little‑Pengelly, Justice Minister Naomi Long and PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher stood side by side to deliver a united message urging calm on the streets.
Paul McCusker an Independent councillor based in north Belfast spent hours on local streets on Tuesday night, offering reassurance to residents and confronting youths intent on disorder after video of the stabbing was widely circuilated and went viral on social media.
Hadi Alodid, a 30‑year‑old Sudanese national, appeared in Belfast's Magistrates court in the city on Wednesday charged with attempted murder following the frenzied knife attack on Stephen Ogilvie, a local man in his 40s.
Mr Ogilvie lost his left eye and suffered catastrophic injuries to his face and neck. He continues to be treated in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital on the city's Falls Road.
Locals armed with hurley sticks intervened to protect the victim on Monday night before PSNI officers arrived quickly on the street close to the Antrim Road, arresting the suspect and administering first aid.
Belfast Councillor Paul McCuskerSpeaking to the Irish Post Cllr. McCusker said he felt “revulsion after this horrific and terrifying attack”.
“Our first thoughts are with the victim, who remains in hospital,” he said. “Police have carried out a robust investigation and brought the perpetrator before the courts.”
He described the emotional toll on residents who witnessed the attack.
“Throughout the night I was speaking to people who were shaken and distressed. The area felt incredibly tense. Some residents needed medical support from their GP, and one woman had to go to hospital because of what she saw.”
Mr McCusker described the subsequent unrest including attacks on people because of their skin colour as abhorrent and revealed that health workers sought shelter in their places of work.
"Last night nurses who are Indian were afraid to actually leave work. We had nurses who had to stay overnight in hospitals because they're afraid to go home. That should not be happening."
The Belfast City Hall councillor, who runs a local food bank in the city, recounted confronting young people suspected to be involved in the disorder.
“I asked them, ‘Why are you here? Why do you think you need to wreck the place?’ Their answers didn’t make sense. Their understanding of what happened is very limited. Social media is driving hysteria.”
With the summer tourist season approaching, McCusker urged the Irish diaspora not to let Belfast’s image be defined by the violence.
“I’m aware of the damage this is causing" he said. "Not just in Belfast, but globally. But this is a resilient community. When things like this happen, people rally together.”
He warned, however, that rising hatred cannot be ignored.
“An increase in racism and people being targeted because of who they are is something we cannot tolerate. We need to be in the community, educating and doing the work on the ground to stop this escalating.”
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See More: Belfast, Northern Ireland, Riots, Stabbing
